We Didn't Even Know
by scrambledup
Summary: Bella just moved to Forks right before the beginning of senior year started. She is looking forward to being in one place for a whole school year living with Charlie. Bella meets Jacob, and eventually our favorite family of vampires. Eventually Bella is going to have a choice to make and it won't be easy. Same characters, different storyline. Enjoy!
1. Moving on

**A/N:** Hello! I was in the middle of a Harry Potter fic but FF took it down. I'll rate this M for the future ;-) This story takes place at the beginning of the series when Bella first moves to Forks, but she ends up with someone different than Stephanie Meyer had her end up with. I kept the characters the same for the most part but may have changed a couple little quirks. Review with thoughts/ideas/what you want to see. I already have the next chapter written but anything could change. Enjoy!

**We Didn't Even Know**

Chapter 1

I couldn't believe I was back in Forks. This is what Renee and I both needed. She desperately needed to be free and was traveling with Phil. I honestly didn't know what I needed, but I was definitely not complaining about being in one place for my senior year of high school. I've talked to Charlie every week or so to keep in touch, but we are so alike and weren't exactly great at starting conversations.

Renee dropped me off at the airport that morning. It wasn't a long flight from Phoenix, thankfully. Charlie apparently took off the whole day from work and was waiting for me as I walked out of the terminal with my suitcases. I mailed some boxes of my things to Charlie's house yesterday from Renee's. Hopefully they would be there soon.

Charlie and I saw each other at the same moment and both of us smiled the same way at the same time. I walked over to him and landed in his arms. We were never huggers, but compared to Renee's craziness, this just felt right.

"Welcome back, Bells," Charlie said as he kissed my hair.

"Thanks Dad."

"Wanna stop by the diner for dinner or pick something up and take it home? I can't say I have much to cook with," Charlie said kind of embarrassed but knew I was expecting that.

"Dad the diner is fine. I'll go to the grocery store tomorrow. I'm not worried, just plan on some home cooked meals," I looked at him smiling.

"Bells you know I'd never complain about that," we both chuckled softly.

The ride to the diner was quiet for the most part. We talked about his work and who is still at the station that I remembered. I only remembered a few, but thanks to the picture of me on his desk, everyone remembered me.

We talked about Forks High School that I would be attending. There is a week before school starts so I'm guessing I'll be unpacking and cleaning a lot since Charlie has been living the bachelor life.

"I know a lot of parents of the kids who will be in some of your classes this year. You'll make some friends pretty easily."

"Dad you know how outgoing we are. I'll just do my thing and if I meet people, cool. If I don't, no problem." I really didn't mind if I wasn't in a huge group. I was clearly never the center of attention. I just needed to get organized this week and deal with one thing at a time.

We got to the diner and as we walked in, almost everyone waved and acknowledged Charlie then smiled at me. The waitress sat us, asked for our drink orders, and walked away to deal with a few other tables. It felt weird with a bunch of people glancing over at us. A few people looked familiar but I don't remember any names.

"Dad how often do you actually come here?" I asked smiling.

"I plead the fifth," he smiled, looking down at his glass of water. All I knew is that this man needs a couple good home cooked meals.

We ate quietly, for the most part. Dad filled me in on people in the diner, and some of the puzzle pieces started fitting together. I knew I wouldn't remember a lot of what he told me, but the familiarity was comforting.

When we got back to the house, it was almost exactly how I remembered it, except a little more aged. Just like reading a favorite book over again, you remember things about it as you get further through the book. Memories of my childhood came flooding back to me. I played with a couple of neighborhood kids. I remembered Dad's friends Billy and Harry coming over and I would play with Billy's kids Jacob, Rachel, and Rebecca. Of course we fought every now and then, I mean hey, we were kids. We would always have those memories from when we were little.

Charlie grabbed my suitcases and began walking up the stairs to put them in my room. As I followed him in even more memories came flooding back. The walls were the same lavender they always were and my bed was in the same place in the middle of the wall near the door. Another corner of my room had a simple wooden desk in it. I could see hours of homework and reading being done at that desk. Across from my bed was still the window that I loved opening on warm summer days. I had always wondered what I would do if I ever climbed down the tree right outside the window. Where would I go? What would I do? Would I go see anybody? Well I know my daydreams as a little kid are super different than any day dreams I have now.

"Well Bells, I'll let you unpack. You look tired, probably from traveling all day," Charlie started.

"Yeah I'm exhausted. I'm just going to take a shower and go to bed," I said as I yawned.

"I work in the morning so just call if you need anything," Charlie said as he started turning around and walking back into the hallway.

"Thanks Dad. Goodnight."

"I, Bells I," Dad stuttered, looking at me. "I'm really glad you're here Bells," he said hesitantly.

"I am too Dad. Thank you for letting me come back," I said walking to hug him.

The next morning I woke up and forgot where I was at first. I would miss Renee, but I would have a much more 'teenage' life this year since Charlie was fairly independent. Yeah I'd have to cook and clean but at least Charlie can keep on a schedule.

I smiled to myself, thinking about yesterday when I arrived at the airport. I had a whole year that would act as a fresh start. Today is Tuesday and I have until Monday to do, well, anything. It was already 10:00. I usually wake up fairly early but I guess yesterday really wore me out.

I finally got out of bed, ate some breakfast which consisted of some toast and jelly. I got straight to unpacking and cleaning. Unpacking was just tedious but I'm glad I figured out where everything would go. I cleaned what I could since Charlie only owned so many cleaning products. If he had more, I can guarantee they would never have gotten used. Around 2:00 when I was sweaty, gross, and the bathroom and kitchen were both finally cleaner than me, there was a knock on my door.

I opened it, not even thinking about the gym shorts and tank top I was wearing, and saw a tall, darker skinned guy with long black hair standing on my front steps.

"Hey Bella," the guy said. I looked at his face and realization made my whole face light up.

"Jake? Oh my gosh how are you?" I practically jumped into his arms. He hugged me back and I could feel the smile on his face. I definitely didn't think I would have something to look forward to like this my first full day here. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry, I absolutely stink since I've been cleaning all day," I said hurriedly.

"Bella it's fine, you look great," he said as his eyes looked up and down my body. I definitely noticed his eyes move more slowly over certain areas.

We stood there for a moment just looking at each other.

"Come in, I'm so sorry. How have you been?" I closed the door behind him.

"I'm great, just going through the motions, waiting to graduate. How was Arizona?"

"Sunny and warm. It isn't bad here today but I'm dreading the rain I've heard so much about."

"You'll get used to it, I promise," he said with a smile. "So what are you up to the rest of the day?"

"I was gonna finish cleaning the house, but I wouldn't complain about a break. What were you thinking?"

"Well I don't have the truck with me and I don't see a vehicle out front for you to drive. We could walk around and I'll show you around and see how much you remember," Jake said a bit shyly.

"Yeah that's great. Let me um, throw some clean clothes on. I'm guessing you've been here more than me recently so make yourself at home, I'll be quick!" I finished as I started running up the stairs. I found some jeans and a t-shirt to change into, thankfully found my deodorant that I unpacked, and found some body spray. I brushed my hair and redid my ponytail, and brushed my teeth all in record time. I dashed back down the stairs to see Jake sitting on the couch channel surfing. He looked more at home than I felt for now. I knew it would come with time.

As I hit the bottom step he looks up at me with a smile. He turns the TV off and stands up looking at me as if he's scored the winning points.

"So where are we going?" I asked as I grabbed the extra house key Charlie made me and left him a note.

"We can go through a path in the woods behind your house, we can walk to the corner store that's a little farther, or we could just walk up and down the street, doesn't matter to me."

"Let's go in the woods, as long as you know the way."

"It's your lucky day, your tour guide is very knowledgeable," he smiled his million dollar smile that I remembered so well. We started into the woods on the path and I really had no clue where I was going. I tried to watch Jake's body language to see which way he was going. Watching his body in any way was not something I would complain about. Jake really started growing up. He still acted like the best friend I always played on the beach with, but boy did he look different. His t-shirt was tight around his biceps and anyone could tell he worked out.

We walked in the woods for about an hour, Jake and I usually walking next to each other unless the path thinned out. We talked about anything and everything; our dads and what they have been doing. He told me about people on the rez, some I remembered and some I didn't. We talked about Phoenix. I really didn't have an interesting life.

"So Bella, any boyfriends?" Jake asked, looking down and smirking.

"Yeah right. My clumsy self couldn't attract anyone but I was pretty busy taking care of myself and Renee."

"Bella you could get any guy you wanted to if you tried," I looked at him with my eyebrows up like was crazy. "I'm serious. You're cute, nice, so caring, you've got the whole package."

"Oh stop flattering me. You've only really known me an hour so far," I looked back at him smirking. I was blushing so much. Did Jake really think all of those things or was he just being nice?

"Bella-"he started, but I interrupted before he could say anything else.

"So how about you? Any girls?" Why was I anxious about his answer?

"Nah. I've had opportunities but none seemed like girlfriend material for me. If someone comes along, we'll see what happens, but no one right now," Jake responded.

What was he implying? That I could be girlfriend material for him? Of all of the girls that he probably has throwing themselves at him, he might be thinking about me? That's just crazy. As I thought, I realized I should probably be home when Charlie gets home. I know I left him a note, but I didn't need him worrying my first actual day here. Jake and I turned around and started heading back. Charlie could have been home at any time since he went in so early. Until then, Jake and I hung out and just watched TV and talked more. We sat fairly close together, just our arms were touching. He was warm, and being with him calmed me. It was relaxing to just sit around and talk with someone, even if there was some pressure since he likes me.

Charlie walked in the door after episode of CSI. He was surprised, but happy to see Jake, but I don't know about how he felt since we were sitting so close together on the couch.

"Jake, good to see you! How's Billy?" Charlie asked.

"Same as always, you saw him yesterday, Charlie," Jake responded with his signature smirk.

"I'm assuming I'll be seeing him again today if you need a ride home?"

"Sure, if that's alright with you."

"Bella is it ok if we pick up dinner and eat with Billy and Jake?" Charlie looked up at me tentatively.

"Of course. I haven't seen your dad yet so this is as good a time as ever," I said looking at Jake. I had a thought and gave Charlie a stern look. "We can't stay late though because you and I are stopping at the store on the way home for real food and a few other necessities."

"Yes ma'am," Charlie retorted happily.

I knew there would be a lot more 'new' experiences as I spent more time in my newer home. For now, one step at a time.


	2. Family

A/N: Hello! I am so happy to see people are at least starting to read! Just fyi, the high school Bella went to in Phoenix is made up, I just needed a name. If you have any ideas of something you want to see happen in this story or have any comments, R&R or PM me. Enjoy Chapter 2!

Chapter 2

Family

We all got in the cruiser and drove over the Billy's. On the way we grabbed some Chinese food. Jake and I sat in the back a bit awkwardly and we kept glancing over at each other, and usually catching the other. I can't believe I'm validly flirting with someone. I've had crushes, sure. But no one would have ever been interested in anything more. Based on what Jake said earlier, maybe that will all change for me.

We arrived at Billy's and got out of the cruiser. He must have heard the doors because Billy was already on the porch with a grin on his face.

"Bella! Welcome back! How has your day been?"

"Hey Billy! Thank you, and I've been unpacking and cleaning most of the day so I'm enjoying the break," I said, embracing him.

When Jake, Rebecca, Rachel, and I played as kids, we were together so much that Billy was like an uncle to me. Charlie didn't have any brothers or sisters and I had only met Renee's sister a couple of times because lives in New York on the other side of the country. The Black family truly was my extended family.

Billy replied, "Well you know you are more than welcome here anytime."

"Thanks Billy. You'll at least see me some this week before school starts," as I said this I noticed Jake smiling out of the corner of my eye. At least I won't just be cleaning all week.

We ate our dinner while Charlie and Billy were watching a baseball game. Billy asked me questions about Phoenix and parts of my life that he missed. He only asked me during commercials though.

By the time the game was half way over, it was already dark out.

"Charlie you know where we need to go," I said as I looked over at him. I knew he was dreading this like a child dreaded chores. It's not that Charlie didn't like responsibilities or wasn't responsible, but he would most definitely rather have fun or relax if he could.

"I know Bells, I know. Okay Billy, Jake, thanks for having us, but we need to go be responsible adults," Charlie said smirking.

"Man Charlie, she's really whipping you into shape already! Good job Bella, keep it up!" Billy said, clearly happy for his best friend.

Jake walked over to me, ready to say goodbyes. "So do you have any plans tomorrow?"

"Nope. I only have a couple dates with a bottle of bleach and the mop. Tough competition right there," we both started laughing.

"Do you want some help or would you rather get out?" Jake asked. He was definitely being sincere in asking for my interests and the flirt factor wasn't showing at the moment. We were both awkward teens that were fairly bored out of our minds the week before school, and I was so glad we could figure a way out of it together.

"Let's get out. Even if we just walk again, it'll be nice."

"Hey Bella!" Billy called before I walked out the door. "It's a pain chillin' at home isn't it? How are you getting to school next week with Charlie's work schedule?" he asked.

"Billy I honestly didn't even think about that. Charlie do you need to adjust your schedule?" I looked at him worriedly. He was the Chief, after all. I know family is always priority but if something happens then the Chief has to be there.

"Bella I was thinking we could get you your own set of wheels, then you won't have to go out of your way to talk to anyone for a ride or anything," he looked at me, smiling.

"Ok, when are we going to go car shopping?" That would have been more time out of his schedule. Just because I moved up here, I knew there are things that have to be done but I didn't want to mess up his whole routine just because I couldn't drive myself around yet. Of course I got my license in Phoenix right when I was legal since that would be a huge help to Renee.

"Bells we don't really need to do that."

"Dad what are you talking about? Did a car just appear for me outside the house?"

"Bella let's go take a walk," Jake said smiling at me.

"Umm, ok. Dad we really need to go soon though," I responded. They were all acting really weird, even though that was an honest concern. Jake and I walked out the door and we just stood on the porch. "So Jake, what's up, are we walking for a bit or what?" I asked, super confused about why everyone was avoiding Charlie and I leaving for the evening.

"Bella you remember Billy's old truck right? The red one by the shed over there?"

"Of course, we used to go everywhere in that whenever we didn't walk on the rez," at this point I'm just beyond confused. Get to the point Jake! And what am I missing that everyone else knows already?

"Well I can't drive for another year, and I am working on putting a car together," Jake said as my eyebrows shot up.

"Hold on, you are essentially making your own car? When did you become the mechanic?" I asked Jake, absolutely shocked at my best friend's talent.

"I've been learning some here and there and putting together a Rabbit. I'm so excited and I'm so close to finishing it," he said in a day dream like trance. Clearly this was important to him. "Anyway, Bella you know Billy can't drive anymore. I mean, it's obvious. And I will have my own car, so we have absolutely no use for the truck," he said smiling at me as realization dawned on me.

"Wait so I'll have my own truck?"

"Bella don't act so surprised, you've been a part of this family for years even if you weren't physically here. Charlie talked to us about that about a month after he found out you were moving back." As Jake explained this, my mind was exploding with thoughts. Charlie and Billy came out onto the porch as I was still trying to figure out what all this meant.

"So what do you think Bella?" Charlie asked, smirking.

"You really were on top of things when I told you I was coming back weren't you?" I asked, a bit surprised.

"You have no idea, honey. I was so excited to here you were coming back and Billy actually suggested it. I walked over to Charlie and hugged him. As unemotional as we both were, there had been a lot of hugging over the past couple days.

"So I have a truck?" My brain is still wrapping around this idea. I know they've implied it enough times but my mind was completely blown of how many loving and caring thoughts were put into this idea.

"Yes Bella, you do," Billy responded, laughing. Jake walked back next to me holding out the keys.

"Bella I've already changed the oil, checked all the fluids, changed everything that needs to changed and such. I don't know how long it will last but it's healthy for right now," my favorite mechanic explained.

"Thank you all so much. I can't even put into words how much this means to me."

"Bella do you still want to go to the store tonight?" Charlie asked.

"Nah, I'll go tomorrow, I won't torture you through grocery shopping," I smiled over at my dad.

I drove my new truck home and Charlie drove his cruiser. I drove the roads like had been driving them all my life. I had been back and forth from my house to the rez probably hundreds of times over the span of time that I did live here. I just couldn't believe that Charlie, Billy and Jake put all this together so Charlie wouldn't have to worry about getting me to school or running all the errands and such.

And Jake. Jake made sure everything was perfect and beamed with pride as he explained what he did to my truck, just for me. He could explain about it for hours. As he would have spoken I wouldn't remember any of the names of car parts or what you had to do to them, but I don't know if I will ever understand him doing all of these things just for me.

Charlie and I arrived home and went straight to bed. I knew I would end up going to the grocery store early the next day for the sake of my stomach. With all of the cleaning I would end up doing, I knew I would need sustenance to keep up any energy I could have.

I fell asleep thinking about how welcome I felt here. If senior year was going to be anything like my first two days here, it would be an amazing year.

I felt like I was already falling in a routine. Wake up, eat toast and peanut butter or some sort of topping, and clean. How could I fall into routine after only one full day here? Well I may not have, but it sure did feel like it. In a few days, school will start and a whole new routine will start.

Jake called around ten. I was shocked that he was awake, but he sure didn't sound like it. I told him I would pick him up and he could come to the store with me. I knew we were both bored but I certainly didn't mind spending time with Jake and it seemed that he didn't mind spending time with me either.

The most important thing to me was that our friendship didn't get ruined if something didn't work out between us. That was my biggest fear. In Phoenix I had some friends but no one that I locked onto and hung out with all the time like some people have. Now that Jake and I feel attached at the hip, so to speak, I don't want to lose this since it feels good.

As I pulled up to his house, him and Billy were sitting on the porch.

"Hey Bella, how does it run?"

"Billy I love it, I cannot say thank you enough."

"It's really not a problem. I was more than happy when Charlie brought up getting you a car and that has only been sitting next to shed for so long. I'm glad it can actually be useful!" Billy said happily.

"I'm glad I can put it to use then. What are you guys doing tonight? Charlie assumes I'm cooking dinner and he is completely right. Wanna come over?" I ask, hoping they will answer the way I want them to.

"Of course Bella, we wouldn't miss you first home cooked meal here," Jake answered happily.

"Bella don't worry about coming back over, Charlie can pick me up on the way home from work," Billy suggested.

"Okay that's fine. Jake you ready? I have a lot to do."

"Let's do it," he said walking off of the porch to the truck. We both got in. "What are you smirking about?"

"Everything just feels so right, now that I'm back here," I smile, looking at him.

"Bella, I don't know what you did in Phoenix and how life was, but you're home. That's what it feels like at least. I know Rachel and Rebecca aren't here and things aren't exactly the same, but everything feels right again," Jake and I sat there for a minute or so, just looking at each other smiling. He was completely right, and I couldn't be happier. I started the car and we got going. Grocery shopping with Jake was a completely different story than walking or hanging out.

"Bella why are you getting all those little canisters of spices?"

"Jake that is how you season food. Add a little something to it. Trust me, I've learned a thing or two about cooking. You will never question me again after dinner tonight."

"Sure I guess." I saw him eyeing the snack aisle but completely ignored it. I wanted to get a couple bags of chips and such for snacks but I decided to leave him hanging for a while.

We left the store, got home, and just relaxed for a bit. On the ride home we started playing some game that we happened to create called, 'do you remember?' We would both tell stories about times from when we were little to see if the other remembered. I had a feeling we would be playing this game for a long time.

"Do you remember when Rachel and Rebecca wanted to give us makeovers? They did my hair in four braids around my head and they tried to braid your hair, but they got frustrated every time you got frustrated because your hair got pulled," I reminisced, beginning to laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember. That was a miserable time. I can guarantee they didn't do that just once either. It wasn't very fun," he said, a bit bitterly. "Do you remember when our dads were watching a football game and we were supposed to be finishing homework or practicing writing or something, and we snuck out a back window in my room? We thought we were so slick but Billy and Charlie knew the whole time since we were laughing outside the front window that they were sitting right next to."

"Yeah we didn't think that out very well," I replied.

It felt like the days flew by. Charlie already had me registered at Forks High, and I had all of my paperwork from Red Rock High School back in Phoenix. I decided to drop by on Thursday. Jake and I saw each other every day before school started. It was nice to have something, well, someone to hang out with and feel comfortable with. When I stopped at Forks High, I parked and found the front office very easily. The secretary whose name was Elise Benson according to her name plate was extremely welcoming, especially when she realized who I was. I guess everyone knew I was arriving for this year.

"Oh Isabella how are you? You've grown so much!" Ms. Benson said as I pulled out my folder of paper work.

"Yeah, it's been a while Ms. Benson. How are you?" I asked, politely.

"I'm wonderful! Of course busy since school is starting up so soon. When did you get here, honey?"

"On Monday, so I've had the week to adjust and get settled. I'm just excited to get back into a routine again."

"Oh I'm sure, this is such a big change for anybody. Do you want me to just look through your folder and copy anything I need to put in your file?" Ms. Benson smiled at me. She really wanted to make life easier for both of us.

"Be my guest. You know what you need more than me. Everything should be in here."

"Okay Bella I'll be right back, go ahead and take a seat and relax while I get everything situated. We also made a tentative schedule for you but that can be changed if you preferred other classes."

"That sounds great Ms. Benson, thank you." Something tells me I knew Ms. Benson from when I was younger but I sure didn't recognize her. I sat in one of the chairs and pulled my phone out to make sure I didn't miss any messages. I had a few moments before I would be getting up again.

A/N: So I'm not crazy about the transition to this chapter into the next one but I have it written and just needed a place to stop. I need your thoughts! Should I let Jake and Bella have some time in the beginning of the school year or bring the Cullens right in for the first day of school? Review with thoughts


	3. The New Girl

A/N: Hello! I hope you are enjoying. I'm so excited to keep posting and get this story going! Jake and Bella will be progressing before school starts, I promise! I see some alerts and favorites but I would love some reviews or PMs with thoughts! Enjoy the chapter

Chapter 3

The New Girl

I was waiting in the chair of the front office at Forks High. I got out my phone to check my messages. I had one from Renee, which didn't surprise me one bit. We had been texting on and off since I got here. She was glad I got here safely of course, and she is constantly saying she misses me. I think that is mainly because she needs to do more by herself, but so be it. We texted back and forth for about five minutes before Ms. Benson came back with my folder.

Renee: Hey sweetie! How is your day?

Me: Good. I'm at Forks HS turning in paper work right now.

Renee: Ooooh how exciting! Are you ready for Monday?

Me: As ready as I'm gonna be. One day at a time.

Renee: I know, you're right, don't rush anything. How's Charlie?

Me: He's Charlie, nothing new. Everything is going well though.

Renee: Ok ok, keep in touch, love you!

Me: Love you too.

Renee meant well and I was very glad I could stay in touch with her since I've lived with her my whole life. I'm just glad to be in a more organized and put together place, mentally and physically. After I get my paper work back I go back to my truck and call Jake. He doesn't have a cell phone yet since no one on the rez really needs one since everyone is so close to each other as it is.

I waited a few more minutes before Ms. Benson came back with my folder of paper work.

"Okay Bella, it looks like everything is taken care of. Your Dad was very specific in getting all of the information you needed to get and it shows with how prepared you are coming from out of state. So our Guidance Counselor isn't here today but she will be back tomorrow. Do you want to make an appointment to come in or make a phone appointment to adjust your schedule?"

"I'll stop by, let me know what time works. I don't want to switch a lot," I responded. I just wanted to keep myself occupied and not bored out of my mind senior year.

"Ok then 10:30 tomorrow morning if that works. We'll get you all taken care of and maybe some your teachers will be around," Ms. Benson said excitedly. I wasn't one to go out of my way to talk to my teachers. I knew I would meet them on the first day of school no matter when I met with the Guidance Counselor, so I'd like to keep that meeting as smooth as possible.

"Thanks Ms. Benson, see you tomorrow."

The rest of the week and the weekend flew by. I switched my regular English honors to AP, and stuck with Pre-Calculus instead of going above and beyond with Statistics or Trigonometry or some other crazy torture time they had in mind. There was a state requirement that didn't transfer over so that would be a waste of time but I'd just get it over with so I could graduate. I was fairly excited for a couple classes, so that we kept my brain awake throughout the year. I took a literature history elective too. It wouldn't hurt to get graded to read some classics.

Finally, it was Sunday. Just like eating your favorite dessert, the last few bites were as delicious as ever, and that's how the last day of summer vacation felt. We just never wanted it to end. Jake and Billy came over for dinner with me and Charlie and it was very relaxing night. Jake was only a junior this year even though it looked like he was a year or two older than me. We talked about what would happen during the school year, some people I might meet, what classes we were taking, and anything else that came up. Being with these guys, they got sidetracked a lot so we literally talked about anything and everything.

After Charlie and Jake cleaned and finished the dishes, only because the game hadn't started yet, Charlie and Billy grabbed a couple beers from the fridge and made themselves scarce wherever there wasn't a television. Jake and I went out front and sat on the porch.

"Bella, are you doing anything after school most days? Are we going to see each other?" Jake asked hesitantly. This wasn't the prankster, sarcastic, relaxed Jake that I usually chilled with.

"Not that I know of now, but I could do homework and study for hours, unfortunately. Jake just because school starts doesn't mean we can't see each other every now and then. You know it just won't be every day. Did you find that part for the Rabbit?" I asked. If he could drive over we could probably see each other an extra day each week during the school year. I rested my head on his shoulder. I'd only been here one single week and I already felt at home with a comfort zone having to shift dramatically.

"It's coming in next week supposedly. I need to do some more odd jobs around the rez to pick up some cash, and only a few more pieces to go," Jake said excitedly. He put his arm around my shoulders in a comforting way.

"I can't wait to take a ride," I said smirking. It took him a second to realize my innuendo, but he laughed after a moment. It was like he was zoned out for a minute in deep thought. Like I said, school was starting but the world wasn't ending.

"Bella I'm really glad you moved back here. I know it's only been a week but it feels like we haven't missed a beat," he looked at me a bit more seriously than before. I leaned my head onto his shoulder.

"Yeah you're right. I'm actually glad I moved back, too," I thought out loud. At first I was just one big ball of nerves since everything would be essentially new to me, but now it really is like I never left. It's more like I just had a long term memory problem, and am just starting to remember a lot of things. As we continued to enjoy to silence, I noticed how muscular his shoulders and chest were. My arms were on my legs in front of my and he boldly grabbed one of my hands with the one around me. That right there just reminded me of how much bigger he was than me and how fast he was growing.

I could tell Jake was gauging my reaction after he put his arm around me and grabbed my hand. Both gestures were incredibly comforting. Originally Jake was the brother/best friend figure. It is very obvious after this week that there was something there, and I don't think either of us were ready to face it head on; Yet.

Before I knew it, it was dark outside and we were talking by the light of the porch. We had shifted positions a few times, but always kept some sort of physical contact. Charlie and Billy opened the door and made their way out thankfully during a casual conversation topic.

"Come on kids, you've got a busy day tomorrow. Time to pack it up," Charlie started, wheeling Billy to the top of the stairs. Jake picked up his dad to take him to the truck while Charlie took the wheel chair down to the cruiser. Since Jake had a few more days before his car was finished, Charlie or I was Billy's main source of transportation, which we were both perfectly happy about. Once Billy was in the car, Charlie got in and started it up. Jake walked back over to me.

"Well, see you eventually," he said. We were finally eye level since I was standing on a porch step and he was on the ground.

"Yeah, let me know if you have anything going on after school. Call my cell."

"Okay. By the way, I've been trying to talk Billy into letting me get a phone. He doesn't seem crazy about another expense, but I know he won't be opposed if I get a job and pay for it or find some steady odd jobs," Jake said excitedly.

"And why the sudden need for a cell phone now, Mr. Black?" I asked, jokingly. I really was curious though.

"Why, to talk to my amazing best friend of course. If I'm with the guys, you don't need all of their home numbers and we would just play phone tag until the weekend comes around. We don't want that happening," he said with his signature smirk.

"Yeah that would make life easier, but don't stress yourself out over it. We'll talk, I'm not worried," I said, more trying to comfort myself. A week without Jake sounds like a year without chocolate: just plain terrible.

"Okay, well keep in touch. Miss you, and have a great first day! I want to hear all about it," he said as he wrapped his arms around me. I wonder if he was as aware as I was that our dads were around the corner of the house watching from a distance. Being in his arms felt right. I rested my head on his chest and he kissed my hair. It was very comforting, and I just relaxed and let all of my stress go right then and there. "I'll talk to you tomorrow okay?" Jake said, looking down at me.

"Sounds good, have a good first day," I smiled up at him. I watched as he walked to the cruiser and was actually sad he was leaving. I couldn't wait for the next time we could hang out. I also couldn't remember the last time I let my guard down that much. I was so relaxed and all the stress in the world just evaporated from me when I was in Jake's arms. That's really saying something.

The next morning I wasn't exactly dreading school, but I wasn't exactly excited either. I woke up, put on my most comfortable pair of jeans and one of my favorite t-shirts, and my Chuck's. I had a small breakfast like always, and Charlie was already leaving for work.

"Well Bells, have a great day. Try not to be to introverted. At least say hi to people," he smirked at me. He knew just as well as me that I didn't want to go out of my way to talk to people.

"I'll be personable, don't worry. I just hope you don't hear from anyone's parents that I wasn't polite or nice or anything," I laughed back at him.

"You'll be fine. I love you, call me if you need anything," he said as he kissed my hair and walked out the door.

"Thanks Dad, love you too." I drove to school in my truck with my backpack that had some notebooks, a copy of my schedule, and pencils and pens. I parked in the first space I found, not close to the front and not in the very back. Groups of kids were already standing around catching up after the summer and ready to see each other every day again. For me, this was my last first day of school. I knew I'd go to college but that's different. I was ready to finish this up.

I walked up to the building and went to the office to get my locker. I was in a hallway towards the middle of the building. I entered the combination and it opened on the first try. I didn't put anything in it since I didn't know what notebooks I would need for each class and such, but I'm sure I would be using it eventually.

I went to find my first period class which was AP English. There was about ten minutes before class started, so I just got out a notebook and started doodling for a bit. After a few minutes a girl sat down next to me.

"Hey, you must be Isabella?" the girl looked at me hesitantly. She was very pretty, and didn't seem snotty or stuck up. She appeared to have good intentions.

"Um, just Bella, but yeah, that's me."

"Hey! I'm Angela. We've all heard you were coming. I know you don't know anyone but that will change. There are plenty of 'groups'," she made air quotes with her fingers, "but overall everyone is bearable," Angela said. It sounded a bit like a warning but at the same time a welcome.

"Sounds good. I figured I would just end up meeting people slowly but surely. It'll happen throughout the whole year. I didn't know everyone would already know who I was though," I said honestly. At that moment a bunch of students walked in. Two of them were pale, but the most gorgeous people I've ever laid eyes on. One had dirty blond hair just past his ears, and the other had short, light brown hair, styled nicely. He stared right at me as he came in the room. It made me a bit uncomfortable but I guess that's what happened when everyone knew you but you knew no one. "Who are they?" I asked Angela.

"Who?" She looked up from the notebook she just got out of her backpack. "Oh that's Jasper and Edward Cullen. I'm not surprised they are in this class, they are super smart," she said like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Oh, ok," I really didn't know what else to say.

"They may look different, but they are nice, and generally keep to themselves," Angela said like nothing was out of the ordinary.

As I looked around the classroom to see if I recognized anyone from the parking lot, near my locker, or the hallways, that Edward kid was looking straight at me and Jasper whispered something to him. I couldn't bring myself to look away. This could end up being an interesting year.


	4. Weird

A/N: So I know Bella started at Forks High as a junior in the books, but in this story she is starting as a senior and I am using some of the junior year classes/teachers from the books. I'm making my own combinations and made up other stuff. Also added a couple OC's for fillers, but they may enter the story later. Thank you to my first reviewers and messagers! Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Weird

AP English was fairly boring on the first day. I was excited about what we would be reading though. Angela seemed like she would be a very good friend to have this year. The weird thing was, that Edward guy kept looking at me. I don't know why, but it was starting to get creepy. I really hoped I didn't have any other classes with him.

The day went on until lunch. I had government, which was the requirement that didn't transfer over from Phoenix, Pre-Calculus, and Spanish. I was taking Spanish 4. Angela wasn't in any of those classes but I met a girl named Jessica, a couple guys named Mike and Tyler, and a few other people. Thankfully Edward wasn't in any of my other classes, so far.

I was beyond relieved to see Angela had the same lunch as me. She saw me in line and pointed out where her table was so I could join her. Even though it would have been peaceful, I am very glad I don't have to sit by myself at lunch.

When I sat down, I recognized a few faces and a few other people introduced themselves. Mike, Tyler, and Jessica were there. I also met Ben, Lacey, and her twin sister Lisa. They were cheerleaders but clearly didn't always hang out with them.

"So Bella, how is your day so far? Is Forks welcoming you nicely?" Mike asked.

"There hasn't been much rain yet so it's been good so far. Thanks again for letting me sit with you and helping me out so much. It made today a lot easier," I said, truly thankful. I would have gotten lost on the way to Pre-Calculus if Jessica hadn't seen me.

"Not a problem. Glad you could join us," Jessica responded happily. She then started gossiping about the latest she had heard about someone around the school. Apparently so much happens over the summer that people miss out on. I can't even imagine how much can be missed in a town this small. Compared to Phoenix, the whole town of Forks is like one elementary school district.

The afternoon also went fairly smoothly. Weird, but smoothly. I had Biology 2 with Mike and Angela. I recognized a few people but I walked in one minute late. The teacher had me sit with the one and only, Edward Cullen. He was apparently the only one without a partner. He looked like this partnership would be more complicated than it had to be.

"Hi," I said as I sat down. Whoever the teacher said his name was, was already lecturing about the rest of the school year. Edward just looked at me like I was crazy. Does he not talk? Now that I think of it I passed a few people with skin as light as his throughout the day and they were all speaking just fine. Weird. So Biology was silent.

The last class was Gym. Mike was in that class and another boy and girl with skin like Edward and Jasper's were in the class. I think I heard their names were Emmett and Alice. Alice seemed nice and perky. Emmett mainly stuck with Alice but when we split up by guys and girls he cracked a few jokes but mainly only spoke if he was spoken to. I really wonder if it was a weird coincidence. I am less than not coordinated, so this would be an interesting year. I felt horrible for whoever was partnered with me. Thankfully we did stretching and some walking/jogging today and that was it. A light cardio exercise, as the teacher called it. As the class was over, we all went back into the locker room to change. Alice walked past me a bit faster than everyone else.

"Hey Bella," she turned around and smiled at me. "Hope you had a good first day, I'll see you around," Alice said happily. She got her clothes and rushed into a stall to change. She must have been in a hurry, but that was nice of her to say something.

After I got home from school I did some reading that a couple of teachers had assigned and started getting ahead. Charlie told me he would be home a bit late but I still wanted to have some dinner ready for him. About halfway through cooking dinner when I was cleaning up the kitchen, the phone rang. I rushed over to answer it, knowing who it would most likely be.

"Hello?" I answered, a bit out of breath.

"Hey Bella! How was your first day?" Jake said, with an obvious smile on his face.

"It was good. I met some people, I only got lost once, and I didn't trip and fall on my face," I said proudly. "How was your first day?"

"Same as every other first day. Classes will be fairly boring this year, I've known the people all my life, and it was good seeing some again. It wasn't so good seeing others again."

"Yeah that sounds about right," I laughed as I kept putting some things away in the kitchen. We talked for about half an hour until Charlie got home right when dinner was ready. I smiled as I hung up the phone.

"Well you look chipper this afternoon, Bella," Charlie said, hesitant to approach the subject.

"Yeah I guess. Today wasn't bad."

"Any of that have to do with talking to Jake?" Charlie asked, avoiding eye contact but making quick glances to see if my facial expression changed.

"Possibly. I mean we saw each other every day last week and we figured we would still keep in touch this week. I mean why not?" I really start wondering if Charlie is going to keep this up.

"You two looked pretty close last night," Charlie said smirking.

"Dad at this point we are in best friend territory. I don't know what is going to happen, but I know it feels like we haven't been apart for half of our lives. Since I've moved so much, that feels really nice," I said honestly.

"Well I'm glad you two have each other then. Just make sure he watches his back if it does turn into something more," Charlie mumbled.

By the time we were finished with dinner we had talked about my classes, who I met today, what homework I already finished, and a couple of new cases he got at the station. He helped me clean up on the commercials, but I was starting to feel the exhaustion of the first day.

I slept so well that night. I had the weirdest dream that a bunch of people who I met at school were all just wandering around the building. It wasn't like an actual school day. Whenever anyone walked past one of the Cullens, they would move further out of their way. Granted I only knew what Edward, Jasper, Alice, and Emmet looked like. I hadn't met Rosalie yet, so I'd been told. They all had evil looking glares on their faces. After people walked past them they resumed walking to wherever they were going like a normal day. Why would people be avoiding them? But more curiously, why would they be glaring at people?

The rest of the week went on with nothing exciting happening. After that dream I kept my eye out for the Cullens and any weird behavior. It wasn't hard to watch them since I had AP English with Jasper and Edward and gym with Alice and Emmett. Aside from their appearance, I noticed nothing different about them. It was a bit weird that they only socialized with each other for the most part, but maybe that's how they were raised or something. I was never one to judge.

Jake and I saw each other a couple times when our dads got together for the game. I cooked, as usual, and Jake and I chilled on the porch or did homework in my room on a rainy night. It was incredibly relaxing to have him here. Aside from Charlie, he was the most consistent thing in my life and that thought truly kept me sane. If anyone told me that it takes a guy, a certain guy at that, to make me happy, I would have laughed in their face. Now, I see what all of these people mean when they are in relationships and want to constantly be with their significant other. Jake and I haven't gone any further than holding hands and hugging pretty much. It was comfortable for us at this point.

In Biology Edward didn't open up any more. I got some more glares and one day he actually acknowledged me and said, "hey". Nothing else, just hey. We were supposed to be doing partner work with a microscope but I wasn't sure if he knew how to work with a partner. He sped through the work like he had done it all before. I didn't know any high schooler who was that advanced in biology. As I kept telling myself, 'maybe he'll talk tomorrow'. Even after a week it felt like he never would. Depending on how much partner work we had, this could be a long school year.

Another day at lunch I finally saw Rosalie. She was the most gorgeous girls I'd ever seen. I knew the Cullens were all good looking and all looked a bit different, but wow. If I could look 1/10th as good as Rosalie then it would be a massive improvement. The Cullens still mostly kept to themselves. Alice asked how everything was going towards the end of the week. In gym she was so graceful even when she made the most awkward movements. Jasper was always really quiet but seemed genuinely interested in AP English. Emmett seemed like a big goofball but an incredibly athletic goofball. I knew absolutely nothing about Rosalie's personality. But again, who knew what I would find out over the course of the this year.

It was the middle of the second week of school and Jake and I were hanging out in his garage. He needed one more part for the Rabbit. Our hang out time would be jeopardized a bit when he needed to work but once he got the car working he could come and visit me instead of me or Charlie picking them up or coming over all of the time. As he put the most recent part in the engine somewhere, I was finishing homework. I never understood how a car worked and how it was put together, so I left that to Jake. He mentioned a bunch of parts I had never heard of and usually I just smiled and nodded. He knew I had no idea, but I think he was happy I humored him for who knows how long.

After a bit of joking around, the door to the garage opened. I thought it was going to be Charlie stopping in to say they were ordering pizza, but two other guys from the Rez walked in. I'm sure I had heard about them but I hadn't met any of Jake's friends yet.

"Hey guys!" Jake said as they walked in. How did he know it was them, he was under the car?

"Hey Jake, how's it lookin'?" one asked as he looked in the engine.

"Eh, could be better but could be way worse," a muffled response came from under the car. He slid out to finally make an appearance.

"Quil, Embry, this is Bella. Bella, Quil and Embry," Jake introduced us, pointing to them accordingly.

"Nice to meet you," we all kind of said simultaneously.

"So what are you guys up to this afternoon?" Embry asked.

"Nothing really, I was gonna finish what I could on this and I don't know about after," Jake responded. Quil looked at me like I was out of my mind.

"Bella how bored are you when he goes car crazy?"

"Eh, it's not bad. He only is sucked in when I'm finishing homework," I said.

"That's good. Slap him out of it if he starts ignoring you," Quil laughed.

"Not a problem, he's good at remembering I'm here."

"Wanna go down to the beach? We're bored. And Bella, let's face it, you'll probably be around a lot so we need to get to know you eventually," Quil said as he put his arm around me. Jake's eyebrows went up as he looked at Quil then he looked at me asking if I wanted to go or not.

"Yeah sure that's fine. Well tell your Dad that we're leaving in case he needs anything but-"

"We already did that…let's go!" Embry said grabbing my car keys sticking out of my purse and tossing them to Jake. Quil and Embry ran out the garage and jumped in the bed of the truck. They've probably done it a million times over the years when it was Billy's. Jake held the door open for me and we walked over to the truck.

By the time we were at the beach I had learned a bit about Quil and Embry. Primarily that Quil's grandfather was one of the tribal elders with Billy, and the four of us hung out a bit when we were kids but we don't really remember much of it since I mostly hung out with Jake.

I also learned that my dad is funny drunk, according to the guys since they've been around him more than I have over the years. I knew my dad drank but I never imagined him drunk; Mr. Police Chief…drunk. I laughed as I had some funny images of drunk Charlie in my head. Jake looked over and I just shook my head.

As we were walking along the beach, we just talked a lot and walked along the water. Jake grabbed my hand at some point and I must have blushed again because I saw him punch Embry in the arm. They kept asking if I knew certain people at school. I kept saying no since I had only been there a week, but clearly they didn't care since they kept asking…and asking…and asking. It made it interesting when they kept stopping mid conversation and threw out another name.

It was getting darker. We had to have been out for a couple hours. I knew Charlie was either wondering where I was, still at work, or already with Billy who knew where both of us were. I didn't even realize I was shivering until Jake put his arm around me and I just sort of melted into him. It felt so natural. Since he initiates most of our physical contact I'm assuming he feels the same way. I must have smiled. He looked down and smiled at me.

"Hey lovebirds, cool off," Quil said.

"Oh chill out, we smiled at each other," Jake responded. I also couldn't help but smile at that, too. I could spend countless nights on the beach with Jake and forget every problem in the world. If life kept going like this, I looked forward to doing just that.


	5. Official

A/N: Exciting times for Jake and Bella to come! R&R

Chapter 5

Official

After that night on the beach with Jake, Quil, and Embry, it was hard to keep all of us apart. Jake was really glad that I got along with his best friends, and I was too. Quil and Embry were easy to get along with and hopefully the rest of the guys were, too. One afternoon we were all doing homework and I was half listening to a conversation.

"Yeah did you see Sam? He majorly bulked up. He grew a bit too. It's like it happened overnight. I wonder how Leah is doing," Embry said.

"Yeah I heard they got in a couple fights but they're ok. I talked to Seth yesterday and he said they were working it out," Quil responded.

Jake was unusually silent during this conversation. If Quil or Embry noticed, they didn't say anything. Jake just kept 'being focused' on whatever subject he was working on.

"Have you noticed him staring at Paul though? I know Sam graduated already but whenever I saw them around he was staring daggers into Paul…and Jared too now that I think of it," Embry said.

"Yeah it's weird. Honestly, I don't want to find out what is going on in their bro-mance. I know how close they all are since they've known each other forever," Quil said as he looked over at Jake. "Thoughts, oh wise one?"

If Jake knew Quil was talking to him he didn't take any notice. Quil nudged him and he finally looked up.

"What?" Jake asked, only half confused.

"Oh come on, you knew what we were talking about," said Quil.

"Look I have no clue if it's related or not but my dad has been going to a ton of tribal meetings over the past week," that's strange; I never noticed Billy may have been gone on certain days I was over. "I don't know if Sam is involved or Leah was ever mentioned, but Old Quil, and a few other elders have come to pick up dad every now and then." Jake made it clear that that was the end of that discussion.

"Weird," Embry whispered. I didn't know enough about the guys or tribal stuff to make any assumptions. It sounded like these guys had more drama around here than Jessica gossiped about at lunch sometimes. She would have gone crazy if she knew a fraction of this. I really didn't know what to think, and if it was causing the trouble that it sounded like than I didn't want to be involved. If it was going to hurt Jake or affect Billy in any major way, I definitely didn't want them involved either. Based on Jake's response, I had a really weird gut feeling that it might.

I had experienced my first torrential downpour of Forks Of course, I forgot my umbrella. Thankfully it was a few days later after school and I didn't have to sit through a whole day completely soaked. I walked into Jake's house and just stood in the doorway for a moment.

"Jake, Billy, anyone home?" I called out. I really didn't want to drip all over their whole house and leave a path of water to the bathroom.

Hey Bella, how are ya?" Jake asked walking out of his room.

"Could be better. Can I have a few towels please?" Jake looked like he was about to burst out laughing.

"Yeah Bella, just go into the bathroom, there are some in the closet in there. I'll get a couple things for you to change into," He said, starting to turn around. As soon as he turned I had an idea. It was evil, but could end up hilarious. I turned around and opened the door back up, which made him look back at me. I grabbed his hand and pulled him outside. My evil plan indeed ended up hilarious. Since he was only in shorts and a t-shirt, it didn't make much difference to him. He looked confused but just went along with it. I just started laughing as we ran further out into the rain. As we became more and more soaked, we laughed more and more. At one point I almost slipped but caught myself on one hand before my whole body fell into the mud. I stopped to catch my breath and was about to wipe my hand on my jeans, when I stopped and looked at my hand. Jake must have seen me start smiling because he started turning around, but he started too late.

"Bella don't you dare!" he yelled as he started jogging away from me. I was catching up to him pretty quickly, which means he wasn't running at his full speed. I finally caught him after a few more seconds and left a big, muddy, handprint on his back. I was laughing pretty hard and tired from running so I slowed down and pretty much stopped, finally wiping my hand on my jeans. He turned around also laughing. I loved seeing that smile, and knowing that I caused it made me blush a bit.

"Oh you're in for it now," Jake said looking at me, playful revenge evident in his eyes. This may not end up well.

"No Jake….oh shit!" I yelled as I turned around and started running, knowing that I would never make it away from him. The good part of this adrenaline rush was that I knew he would never hurt me. Next thing I knew two hands were on my waist and I was being lifted off the ground. He swung me over his shoulder so my upper body was upside down facing his back. We were both laughing pretty hard at that point.

I couldn't tell where Jake was walking since my eyes were still closed, but I grabbed on to the belt loops of his khaki shorts so I wouldn't be jostled around as much. A thought occurred to me: when did Jake get so ripped, and so he could pick me up and flip me over his shoulder? I mean I'm not surprised, but damn.

"So Bella, that wasn't a very smart idea was it?" he asked, clearly with a smile still on his face.

"Eh, no regrets," I said. "But I am starting to get a head rush," I answered truthfully.

So he wouldn't drop me, he lowered my legs to the ground and I used what little upper body strength I had to get back in an upright position. His hand was flat on my back as my feet touched the ground so I wouldn't fall over. Lucky for me, since I almost did fall over, my hand grabbed onto his arm, particularly his bicep. My childhood best friend was clearly no longer a child. He really must have been working out over the years, which I wasn't complaining about and I'm sure no other girl on the rez was either. I was still a little dizzy, but opened my eyes and looked right into his. During all this time, the rain was still coming down, but a bit lighter. Just a bit. We were both still breathing heavily, and next thing I knew his lips were on mine. My whole world just stood still. I was still breathing heavily from running but he just took my breath away. It was perfect. After a few seconds he pulled away and we just kept looking at each other. I have no clue how long we stood there, but it was an amazing moment full of a feeling I had never felt before.

He grabbed my hand and we walked back to the house. Once we got inside, got dried off, and he threw my clothes in the drier and gave me some shorts and a t-shirt for now, we sat on the couch channel surfing. He had his arm around me, and I was cuddled up against him. I felt so safe and warm and completely happy in this moment.

"So," Jake broke the ice.

"So," I said looking up at him smiling.

"That was fun, and definitely not what I was expecting for this afternoon. I'm not complaining."

"Me neither. I'm not very spontaneous or anything, but that was one of my better moments."

"Most definitely," Jake said leaning down and kissing me again. This time much more eager, but not too rushed. Our lips did a dance together for a few full minutes. I've kissed a guy before, but never more. If this is what all the hype is about, then I completely understand why people have said I've been missing out. The only difference was, it wouldn't have felt like this if it wasn't with Jake. We looked at each other a bit out of breath again.

"Bella is this…friendship…changing?" he asked, nervously. I didn't know what he wanted to hear or what he expected, which made me nervous.

"I mean it sure does feel like it, doesn't it?" I asked.

"Yeah, a bit," Jake said, smiling. I let out a big breath.

"So does that mean…" I trailed off, looking down at the couch. I really didn't want to assume anything but I didn't want to miss a subtle hint either, which is why I asked.

"Is that what you want it to mean?" He asked, putting a finger under my chin and pulling my face up to look back at him. When we finally made eye contact I saw my favorite smile on his face, a look that begged me to answer exactly what he wanted. The problem was, I didn't know what that was. I figured I had a 50/50 chance.

"Yes, if that's what you want," I said. His lips were back on mine faster than I could inhale. This time we kissed for a bit longer than before, and everything just felt right. I felt comfortable and safe with Jake, and I hoped, no, I knew, that this would be a great way to spend senior year.

That weekend Jake and I saw each other again. Since I did as much homework as I could on Friday night, and I told him to do the same, we would have most of the weekend together. Charlie and I went down to the Black's house so Charlie, Billy, and Harry could go fishing and Jake and I would end up doing whatever.

We were sitting in the garage, him cleaning the inside of the car and me in the passenger seat. Every time he got in or out of the car to get a tool he would give me a peck on the lips. I was reading a book. At one point when he kissed me, we weren't really paying attention when the door opened and Quil and Embry walked in.

"You owe me five bucks!" Embry said to Quil, holding his hand out.

"Damn it! Fine I'll give it to you if we stop at my house later," Quil said, annoyed.

"Hey guys, I guess you're gonna have to start knocking now," Jake said laughing.

"Ew, gross. Well that's fine with me since it got me five dollars from this genius over here. So are you guys official now?" Embry asked.

"Yup. As of last night," I said.

"Jake, what the hell? We saw you last night and you didn't say anything?" Quil asked looking annoyed.

"Oh get over it, I didn't think it would matter that much to you. I also didn't want word to get around the whole rez right after it happened. So I figured you would find out eventually. Sure enough."

"So Bella, I only bet against you two getting together because my charm should have won you over. You sure you wanna stay with this boy?" Quil asked, kneeling next to me on the floor.

"Sorry Quil, you must not have been trying very hard," I responded laughing. Embry and Jake joined in the laughing and I felt a kiss on my cheek as Jake got out of the car.

"Well, we have all evening, what do we wanna do tonight?" Jake asked.

We ended up going to the movies in Forks and seeing some cheesy adventure movie that should have never been made. But I must say, I had a blast with my group of friends and boyfriend.

A/N: Yay! Jake and Bella are official! Now that they've had some time to develop, and will have more, what problems could come along? I will hopefully be updating a chapter or two per week but am a kindergarten teacher by day and involved with community theatre by night and a show opens in a week and a half which means rehearsal every night, so I'll do the best I can!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: First off, a huge thank you to everyone reading! I've hit over 1,000 views! Here's more of Jake and Bella moving forward as their relationship grows ;-) Thank you and I hope you keep reading! Change being made to previous chapters: Jacob is a junior, not a sophomore. I knew I was starting my story as if Bella was a senior, but forgot to switch Jacob up a grade so I'm going back and making that change. That won't change Jake and Bella's relationship though.

Chapter 6

Moving Forward

Jake and I had been a couple for about a few days and it got around fast. We had been seen around both the Rez and Forks holding hands and being close a few times. I didn't mind since I was incredibly happy with him, but it was still a weird feeling being the one who was being talked about.

Apparently it got around at school too because on Monday people gave me some weird looks, some extra smiles, and some recognition that they finally realized who I was, oddly enough. I guess being the Chief's daughter in a small town wasn't enough to get myself on the map, which I wasn't complaining about. In Bio 2, I had the last conversation I ever expected to have: a conversation with Edward Cullen.

"Hi Bella," he said stiffly as he sat down. He didn't make any eye contact or anything.

"Hey, how are you?" I asked, attempting to break the ice.

"Good, thank you, and yourself?"

"Same." Well that was a good and productive conversation. We were silent for a few minutes as Mr. Banner started talking about whatever lesson he was giving that day. Once we got started on our experiment for the week Edward became chatty again.

"So how has your time in Forks been so far, Bella?"

"Not too bad. I've been keeping pretty busy, and I didn't have much time before school started."

"There's only so much you can really do around Forks, have you been to Port Angeles yet?" he asked a bit stiffly, but then again he wasn't a very animated person as it was.

"No, not yet, but I plan to at some point. I just got my truck not too long ago so now I can actually get places."

"I'll be right back," he smirked and said as he went to get our supplies from the supply table. This was the most I'd ever even heard Edward talk, heaven forbid actually talk to him myself. He seemed incredibly introverted and fairly straight forward with not many other facial expressions. When he did come back, our conversation surprisingly continued. He moved so effortlessly, like he had done all of this one thousand times.

"So you've met my siblings?" he asked. Well that was the last thing I expected.

"Yes, I have. Alice and Emmett and I all have gym together, Jasper is also in my Lit History class, and you know about A.P. English. I haven't officially met Rosalie though."

"That doesn't surprise me. She doesn't exactly introduce herself to just anyone," he said, clearly stating that she wasn't very social. Based off some of her facial expressions I've seen, she may not always be the easiest person to get along with either. But what did I know considering I've never even spoken to her before?

"Ah okay, so I won't be surprised if I don't see a welcome mat laid out and a cheery greeting," I said.

"Don't be surprised at all. Expect the exact opposite, nothing. Then if you end up talking to her and it's completely civil, you'll be beyond surprised," he said actually laughing at my sarcasm. He's easier to talk to than I ever expected.

"Noted: don't expect anything from Rosalie, got it. Honestly I'm the kind of person to wait until other people approach me and say something. I rarely, if ever, initiate conversation."

"Ah, so that's why our table has been so quiet since school's started," Edward smiled and looked over at me from his notes. He had a very nice smile. I felt like the way he was looking at me was implying something and I should have picked up on it, but I just couldn't.

"Yeah, pretty much. I've never been the best conversation starter so I just don't talk sometimes. I learn more by observing and listening than talking anyway, so I enjoy the silence."

"Noted: silence can be golden. Got it."

Bio was quite boring for the rest of the afternoon. Yes, Edward and I completed our work, as we usually did. We shared our results with the class and compared with other groups. No, I did not realize how having a whole conversation with Edward Cullen was about to change my whole life.

Over the next few days I heard some weird things. Like I said, I observe and listen more anyway. Hanging out with Jake, Embry, and Quil proved to be very interesting. Sam was getting more suspicious, and Paul and Jared both joined his 'gang' as the guys were calling it. Quil and Embry both pointed out that Billy had been to more tribal meetings, and they didn't think it was coincidence. I talked to Jake about that later though just to get his thoughts on it.

"Jake do you think Quil and Embry are on to something when they say Sam and your Dad going to more tribal meetings being related?" I asked as I passed him a pan to dry. He was silent for a moment.

"I honestly have no clue. It is super weird that they both started at the same time. I just don't know what Sam bulking up and starting some secret club would have anything to do with the tribal leaders, especially the elders. It's how they are specifically connected to each other that I have absolutely no clue of." Jake actually looked stressed about this.

"Is this all bothering you that much?" I asked as I put the sponge and pot down that was washing. I put my hands into his that were holding the dish towel. He held my hands and gave me a massage as he dried them off.

"No…yes. I don't know. I have no clue if Quil or Embry said anything to anyone at school or Jared or Paul did, if they actually are involved in all this, because people have asked me what is going on with Sam. Why would I know? Have they seen Sam and my dad together? Did I completely miss something?" he asked as he pulled me in for a hug.

"Well, you can either ignore them, or just tell the truth, that you don't know. They will either think you are lying, or believe you. It's not like you have anything else to tell since you honestly don't know anything else."

"I know, and you're right. It's just really annoying. Only a few people have asked, but the rez is not a huge place at all and things spread fast. Who knows who else Sam could recruit by the time anything else gets around."

"Jake, have you ever thought about asking Billy what's going on?" I hated seeing him like this. I gently rubbed my hands up and down his back to try to relax him.

"When he first started going to all these tribal meetings I asked if everything was okay and said yes, but I haven't asked since. They never tell anyone what goes on in those meetings anyway so it would be pointless. I could ask if everything is okay with Sam, Paul, and Jared. I don't think there would be any harm in that," Jake said looking down at me.

"Good plan, and let me know what happens because I am super curious, too," I smiled up at him.

"Sounds good. Let's get these dishes finished so we can go relax for a bit," he winked when he said that last part and I couldn't have been happier. We loved spending time with each other regularly, like just doing homework or watching T.V., but there were spurts of time where we couldn't keep our hands off of each other. It literally felt perfect when we were together in the physical sense. Neither of us had lost our virginities at that point, but who knew how long that would last. I knew I wasn't ready yet, but there were some times with Jake where I did not know how long we would last. The need we both felt was so intense, which leads back to us not being able to keep our hands off of each other. He smacked my ass with the dish towel before he hung it up on the oven handle and we walked up to my room. It was another night at my house since Billy and Charlie went to Harry's to watch the game. It was the playoffs and Harry would miss the beginning of the game if he had to come over to Forks, so they just went to Harry's instead. Which meant Jake and I had the house to ourselves.

On the stairs he turned me around when I was a stair above him and kissed me. He's mentioned that he loves not having to come down to my level all the time. He will definitely do it and doesn't mind, but it's nice being eye-level every now and then. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he grabbed my ass. Our tongues danced together gently, we weren't in any hurry. I took a step backward, up the next stair and he took one forward. We kept going until I took a step onto a stair that wasn't there and fell into the wall. Our kiss broke quickly and my eyes opened wide as I started slipping from his grasp but his speedy reflexes reacted. He took a big step up off of the stairs. One hand moved to the small of my back and the other to the back of my head right before it hit the wall. With that hand, he tilted my head up toward him and we continued kissing as if we never stopped. This time he walked backward down the hallway and into my room. It was better that I was walking forward, anyway.

I was just fine with making out, but I wasn't very experienced as we both knew, and I had a feeling that we would be taking this to the next step today, but who knew. He sat on my bed with me standing in between his legs. Our mouths only broke contact when we needed to breathe. In that moment, I decided to be bold. I put my legs around his waist so I was kneeling on my bed and straddling his lap. He held me up and I felt a new sense of need in his kisses. His hands began roaming all over, my butt, my sides, he grabbed one my boobs, and everything felt a million times better as things became more heated. Between my legs, I felt something get harder. It took me a moment to realize, as we were still making out, that it was Jacob getting harder. I felt him rocking the tiniest bit under me, trying to create that sweet friction for that deep-rooted feeling inside. Jake started breathing heavier, but we never stopped kissing for a few more minutes.

"Bella is this too much?"

"No," I answered rushed, and threw myself on top of him so he fell back on my bed. We started making out again and next thing I know he was peeling my t-shirt off me. As he dropped it behind him on the floor, he just started at me, in awe.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered, as his eyes raked up and down my upper body. I always thought it would feel weird for a guy to look at you without clothes on, even though I still had a bra on. In movies it always looked like guys were eating women with their eyes and it wasn't very classy or romantic looking. But in that moment, I had never felt more beautiful. Jake pulled me down to him and kept kissing me, his hands roaming and becoming braver. I loved that he felt like he didn't want to rush me into something I didn't want to do. I also knew that if I said something, we would stop instantly if it was too much. Right now, I did not want to stop. He started rubbing my nipples through my bra and I moaned into his mouth. That must have gotten him going more because he practically ripped his own shirt off. I probably should have been the one to do that but I only cared about that for a split second. As we held our bodies together, we stopped making out for a moment and just rested our foreheads against each other's.

"Wow," Jake said.

"Wow is right," I said, looking into his eyes, smiling. Feeling skin on skin was amazing, and fueled another fire inside of us. He looked at me and his eyebrows went up as if asking me a question. That was when I noticed his fingers on the clasp of my bra. I nodded, and next thing I knew I was pulling my bra out from between us. I pulled our bodies as close together as I could, and it felt amazing. He started kissing me again, but this time on my neck. I let my head fall back and he kissed all around the front of my neck to the other side. I couldn't put together a coherent sentence if someone asked me what my favorite color was. I gave up on thinking and was focusing on feeling.

Jake's kisses trailed downward onto my boobs and I moaned again. I never thought anything could feel this good. He shifted me back, breaking the contact our chests had. My brain protested, and I started to look at him when I felt him sucking on a nipple. I take back anything I thought before, this was the best feeling ever. I have no clue how Jake knew, nor did I care at the moment, but he didn't suck to hard, or too light, but just right while nipping occasionally My fingers dug lightly into his chest and the warmth spread more throughout my whole body. I found myself responding to him grinding his hips and lightly grinding back. That's when he moaned. He moved his mouth to my other nipple and groped me everywhere.

"Oh my god, Jake," I said, breathing heavily. He must have realized that was a good comment and pulled me back to him quickly and covered my mouth with his. A few more minutes of groping and kissing furiously, we both collapsed on my bed and just slowed our breathing down.

"I really don't wanna start something that we can't finish tonight, but I know I don't wanna stop either," Jake said, looking at me.

"I know. I know the game will be on for a while but we could go on forever. Save new territory for next time?" I ask, looking at him. I honestly don't know what he'll say, but I am a bit nervous to go much farther tonight.

"That's fine," he said. And we laid there relaxing in each other's arms until Charlie came back and I drove Jake home.

A/N: I have an awesome idea for a chapter from Edward's POV but don't necessarily want to do that if I don't have any urge to do a chapter from Jacob's POV at this point (more so once they go wolf). Anyone opposed?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you for the response to this story! Again, the number of views, the reviews, the PM's was amazing! And there will be no Edward POV chapter any time soon. The beginning of this chapter is mainly fluff but it was super fun to write. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Fill in the Blanks

Jake and I had been progressively moving forward in our relationship. The funny thing was, even though our dads were never around, they somehow knew that our relationship had progressed. I didn't know if it was because we were that obvious when we were together or if they just heard from someone since a lot of people knew about us.

"So, Bella, Jake, what have you two been up to?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Nothing interesting, just homework, hanging out, watching movies, going to the beach, seeing Quil and Embry. Why?" Jake answered, uninterested in the question.

"Oh please Jake like you don't know why I'm asking," Charlie scoffed.

"Hey Bella, come here for a minute!" Billy called from the other room.

"Okay then, I'll be right back. Dad be nice," I said as I walked out of the living room. Jake winked at me when he noticed Charlie was looking down at the paper.

"So Jake, I know you and Bella are together now. What are your intentions with my daughter?" Charlie pulled out the police interrogation voice.

"Well, I want to keep making her happy for as long as she'll let me," Jake responded seriously. If Charlie was going to at least act serious, than Jake could play right back.

"Good answer. Do I need to give you 'the talk' yet?" Charlie used air quotes.

"Charlie, really? I know you sure as hell don't want to have that talk with Bella. My dad already had that talk with me years ago and I know what I need to do. I would never make her uncomfortable or not safe in any way. I care about her way too much," Jake said seriously. Thankfully Charlie seemed satisfied with that answer.

"Good. When the time comes, keep it wrapped, and be careful."

"Okay Charlie are we done?" Jake asked uncomfortably.

"Yes Jake, we're done. But I'm gonna ask you to stay in here for a sec until Bella comes back." As Charlie said that, Jacob paled a bit realizing what their dads had planned.

"Oh Charlie, seriously? She is going to be so embarrassed." Jake said, putting his head in his hands.

"Look, I thought it would be better this way since he has had that talk with daughters before. And not to mention, I hope her reaction is as hilarious as yours," Charlie said chuckling.

"So Bella, I know you and Jake are together now. What are your intentions with my son?" Billy asked me.

"Um, I will stay with him as long as he is happy with me," I told Billy, honestly but hesitantly. I had no clue where he was going with this, but I didn't like it.

"Good answer, and I'm happy to hear that. I know this won't be comfortable for either of us, but I've had two daughters and have already done this before," Billy said as I looked at him a bit confused. He must have realized that I wasn't following where he was going with this exactly. "Bella when two people like each other, and they are crazy teenagers-" then I realized where he was going with this.

"Okay Billy I'm going to stop you right there. Renee had this talk with me a while ago. I'm really thankful you care enough to sit down with me but we can save the awkwardness all around," I said hurriedly.

"Oh, well that's good. So you know what he needs to use, and all that stuff?" Billy asked, curious.

"Yes I do, and I'm assuming he does too if you are talking to-" I stopped, realizing our dads' plan. "Billy, Charlie is in there with Jake isn't he?"

"Yup…glad you finally caught on."

"Ugh. You guys are good. But this really didn't need to happen," I said as I put my head in my hands.

"Bella, yes it did," Billy put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "It is awkward as hell, but remember, you two wouldn't be here if Charlie and I didn't get the same talk and somehow learn the same thing you guys are about to. We love both of you and want to keep you two safe. And the spirits know we don't need any baby Jake's or Bella's running around here any time soon."

"Oh my gosh stop talking," I moaned into my hands.

"Hey Charlie, you two done in there?" Billy yelled into the kitchen. At that, Jake came jogging in, pushed Billy into the kitchen with Charlie so they could gossip, and Jake came back and sat next to me on the couch. He put an arm around me and pulled me back into him.

"So, how did your talk go?" Jake asked.

"Awkward, but not terrible. You?"

"Awkward, but not terrible. He started interrogating me."

"Ugh, of course he goes all 'chief of police' on my first boyfriend here," I said, embarrassed.

"Bella, you know it's because he cares. It was way more awkward because I've known him for so long. Who would have guessed our dads would have plotted that together?"

"They are pretty clever. I also completely understand their logic. You had two sisters for Billy to deal with. That must've been crazy," I said, trying to imagine Billy talking to his own daughters about that.

"Yeah there were some weird moments to say the least," Jake answered as Charlie and Billy walked in.

"Hey kids, we are going over to Billy's so Harry can join us for the game. Do you want to come, or stay here?"

"What do you want to do?" I asked Jake.

"Honestly, I was hoping you would cook tonight since I haven't seen you much this week and am really craving some sort of pasta," Jake answered, looking hopeful.

"Ok we'll come with you and I'll make dinner. We have most of the ingredients here, so no worries," I said, all three of them grinning from ear to ear knowing that they would get a home cooked meal.

Later when we were all at the Blacks, I was cooking while Jake and Charlie were helping me move around the kitchen. I had been barking orders while working a bit hurriedly. I successfully taught Charlie how to make garlic bread.

Charlie and I had made a deal during the first week of school that I could teach him a few simple things about cooking. Who knew if he would be putting in the effort, but I was thinking ahead about when I left for college. I had no clue what would be happening next year, but I did know that I wouldn't be living with Charlie forever. So far he has helped me with regular spaghetti (just the noodles, I didn't even begin with the spices and meat sauce yet), a very simple chicken dish, and now garlic bread. Even though he was struggling a bit, I was beyond proud of him for his major accomplishment.

Meanwhile, I had Jake setting up the trays so Charlie, Harry, and Billy would eat in the living room where the TV was. He had a beer on each tray, silverware, and a napkin. I had all of the plates next to me so I could just serve and they could keep doing whatever they were doing. I was about to walk into the living room to talk up Charlie's garlic bread when I heard Billy and Harry talking in quick whispers. I couldn't hear everything, but I sure did hear some things that I wasn't supposed to.

"Why are they even back? They haven't been here in so long. I know Dr. Cullen has been around and about but no one had phased until now when the whole family is here," Billy said.

_'So one of the Cullens is a doctor?'_ I thought.

"I know. We have Sam, Paul, Jared, and I really think Quil and Jake are next. I have no clue how Paul and Jared are managing school on top of patrols. I'm really nervous about when Jake phases. I don't want him to have to deal with school on top of this and I really think he will assume his position," Billy said worriedly.

'_Phases?!_' Alarms in my brain went off. '_What on earth was Billy talking about phasing? And what are Paul and Jared patrolling?_'

"I don't think he will yet. I think it will take him some time. Sam will be fine until then," Harry paused. "Billy, you know he's going to have to break it off will Bella when he phases right?"

"Harry look, I'll deal with that when I have to. Bella is a part of my family as you are. The only difference is that she and Charlie aren't spiritually attached."

I all of a sudden was thankful for Billy standing up for me and Charlie. I knew Harry loved us too but clearly showed his tribal dedication. I was happy that I knew that Sam, Paul, and Jared were definitely all connected to Billy's tribal meetings.

"That's why they aren't the same type of family Billy! I love them just as much as you do but if Jake phases, she can't be in on this and you know Charlie can't either," Harry said a bit louder.

"Look, Jake isn't phasing tonight, so we'll talk about this later when Bella and Charlie aren't in the house. Chill out," Billy said strictly.

I had no clue what I just heard about, but I sure did have some research to do. I never made my introductory joke about Charlie's garlic bread, but I sure was quiet and thinking a lot during dinner. Would Jake really have to break up with me soon? We were about a month into our relationship and I couldn't have been happier. Why did I have to find some tribally attached guy to fall for?

"Bells, what's on your mind?" Jake asked. He had started calling me 'Bells' recently. At first he wasn't sure if it was okay since only Charlie ever called me that, but he seems to say it when he knows I needed to be calmed down. It worked.

"I've just got a lot on my mind. Can we go for a walk later, maybe on the beach?" I asked. I had some questions to ask that wouldn't give any of my suspicions away, I hoped.

"Of course, we'll make the old men clean up," Jake said smiling.

After a delicious meal and a ride to the beach later, Jake and I were walking, hand in hand, along the freezing cold water. We left our shoes at our regular piece of driftwood. For the end of October, it wasn't freezing outside, but the water sure made it feel like winter already.

"Jake, tell me about your tribal legends. I remember going to a couple of bonfires with you when we were little and hearing the stories," I said.

"Bella I technically can't tell you that. They let you come because you were so young and knew you would barely remember any of those stories. Sure enough, they were right," Jake said, smiling at me. He was clearly torn about what to tell me and what to keep secret. I dug for some information in the very back of my brain, wiping the cobwebs off of the old stories.

"All I remember is Old Quil telling about werewolves. I know that your tribal men turned to werewolves because of some people being a danger to your people," I said, trying to pull some information out of him.

"And that's all you need to remember. They are corny stories anyway. Who knows who actually believes them," Jake said brushing it off. I looked up to study his facial expression to see if he was giving away his beliefs.

"Do you believe them?" I stopped walking and he stopped in front of me and turned around.

"Bells I honestly don't know. What brought this up?"

"I don't know, I'm just trying to remember because I had a dream about…" I had to make something up quick "us playing on the beach as kids and Billy telling us those stories. I'm just trying to fill in the holes of what I don't remember and it's bugging me," I lied smoothly.

"Well let's keep it a dream. Most people think it's all bogus anyway," Jake said as he tried to turn back around and keep walking along the beach.

"Jake if it's bogus than why can't you just tell me?" I asked. He paused.

"How about we talk about something that I dreamed about?" he smiled and moved towards me. I could tell this kiss wasn't going to be passionate or sincere, since he was obviously trying to distract me. Sure enough when his lift landed on mine, it wasn't bad under any circumstances, but it definitely wasn't my preferred type of kiss. I was thinking about trying to turn it in to something more, but that would mean he won, and there was no way that was happening. Even if I didn't find out any more information tonight, he wasn't going to be the victor of the discussion.

I pulled away and looked like I was ready to start making out. Right before our lips touched, I whispered, "You won't distract me that easily." The surprised look on Jake's face was priceless. We kept walking along the beach for a bit until it got dark enough to feel like we needed to get back to our driftwood.


	8. Ridiculous

A/N: Sorry this took so long! I am in a community theatre production of "Hello Dolly" and the show just opened last weekend, so schedules have been crazy. I decided to skip ahead a few weeks but the plot is moving forward with it. Some more drama!

Chapter 8

Ridiculous

It was the end of September and even though it was technically the end of summer, it sure felt like fall. I knew the weather would be different, but if there's one thing I missed about Phoenix, it was the warmth. School was going well and I felt a part of the group. Everything with Jake was going great. Actually, my first real relationship was going better than great. We ended up seeing each other a minimum of four times a week since he finished the rabbit last week. He had never been more thrilled. I didn't know it was possible for my favorite smile to get even bigger. He made plenty of jokes about me 'enjoying my first ride' but was more than happy about any jokes I threw back. Nothing could have dampened his spirit. Well, except for one thing.

**Wednesday at school**

I was walking out of gym when I heard a voice calling me from behind the crowd as we all went back to the locker rooms.

"Bella! Wait up!" I turned around to see who it was. Based on the voice, I wasn't surprised to see it was Alice Cullen. Her and I had talked a couple of times in gym, but nothing more.

"Hey Alice, what's up?"

"I'm going to Port Angeles this weekend to get a dress for my cousin's Bat Mitzvah. Do you want to come with me?"

"Umm, sure Alice. Just be prepared, I'm not very good with the whole shopping thing," I said hesitantly. She really didn't know what she was getting into. She was so stylish compared to me and I still don't think I'd seen her wear the same outfit twice.

"Yay!" She jumped up and down once and clapped. "Bella it'll be fun. Rosalie can't come with me and I figured this would be fun to get to know each other a bit."

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Great, we'll talk more later. I gotta go!" She said as she rushed into a stall to change.

**Thursday afternoon in the Black family living room**

It was pouring rain and Jake and I were sitting with some textbooks open on the coffee table. We had been keeping up a light conversation as we both trudged through our Math homework. Jake had just been telling me about something stupid Embry said in English that day.

"Oh by the way, I forgot to tell you yesterday on the phone. Alice invited me to Port Angeles sometime this weekend to help her find a dress for her cousin's Bat Mitzvah. Does it matter what day?" I asked, not sure if our dads already made plans for one day or the other.

"No I don't…wait Alice Cullen?" Jake asked, curiously.

"Yeah, I was surprised to. How do you know them?"

"I mean I already knew some people from Forks anyway but they made themselves a reputation."

"Wait but I thought they were new to the area," I was beyond confused now. I was trying not to hint that I had overheard Billy and Harry's conversation. I figured I made a vague enough statement that he wouldn't know.

"They are. Well Dr. Cullen has been in and out for a while. We've seen his family before when they visited but never for long periods of time. I guess if they are enrolled at school here then they will be around. I've heard they are…absolutely crazy," Jake said, like he wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"Crazy, like how?" He wasn't very convincing, but he probably knew more than me.

"Everyone on the rez avoids them, and seeing Dr. Cullen at the hospital for that matter. I don't really know why, I mean I've never had a reason to ask. I will say I'm really nervous about you not being around," he said, looking at me intensely.

"Jake I'm not jumping off of a cliff or anything, I'm just going to the mall. I'm sure I'll be fine. You can call me whenever you want to check in," I said trying to reassure him. I had no clue what people in La Push knew about the Cullens, but if Jake couldn't give me a reason, then I had no reason to stay back. He took both of my hands in his.

"Whenever I want to check in? So, we could just stay on the phone the whole time?" Jake asked, almost seriously.

"Okay, no. Jake really, it's a trip to the mall."

"Yeah and Bella it's not exactly right down the road."

"You have nothing to worry about, we are shopping."

"Bella just humor me and maybe, I don't know, say something came up?" I had never seen Jake more serious than right now. I felt like there was more to this than he was telling me.

"Jake until you can give me a better reason then 'I've heard they're crazy', I'm going." I said pulling my hands out of his and picking my Math book back into my lap.

"Fine, but don't think this is the last we are going to talk about this."

"Oh, about what? Fill in the old man and make my life more interesting," Billy said as he wheeled himself in.

"Oh, Bella said she is going to the mall this weekend with Alice Cullen," Jake said casually, not looking up from his book purposely. Billy was almost out of the living room but I heard the brakes on his wheel chair make a tiny squeak. Jake and I both looked up at him.

"Oh, Bella, when were you going? We were going to all get together at some point," Billy said hesitantly. At first I thought he was disappointed that I might miss it. Then I put two and two together. If Jake 'just heard they were crazy', he either heard it from people at school, or his dad. I was still going to humor him.

"We haven't decided yet. She just asked me yesterday," I said. When I looked up Jake and Billy were staring at intently at each other. It looked like they were wondering who would make the next move.

"Oh, well let me know as soon as you can so your dad and I can be in touch about this weekend," Billy said as he glanced quickly at Jake, who nodded back at him.

"Oh Dad, wasn't there supposed to be a bonfire this weekend?" Jake asked quickly, like he was trying to send Billy a secret message through his question.

"I mean, they were thinking about it but it all depends on the weather," Billy threw back at him. I wasn't sure if they were actually thinking about having one or not.

"Can Bella come to this one?" Jake begged.

"Jake you know we can't have any have non-Quileutes at the bonfires." Billy looked at me before he chose his next words carefully. "Bella, honey, it's nothing against you, it's just tribe rules."

"Oh Billy, I understand, don't worry about it," I responded. I really wasn't upset. I understood that their culture had rituals just like a religion. Jake on the other hand, wasn't so convinced.

"Dad come on, it's Bella. I'll bet no one there would care either," Jake tried to get the last word. Unfortunately, I knew that Billy wouldn't crack as easily.

"Jake, as Chief of this tribe, I am saying no on behalf of the Elders. I know for a fact that not everyone there would be ok with that and you do too. I'm sorry, but this isn't going to work so easily for you. I would stop while you're ahead," Billy said as he started wheeling towards the kitchen again.

"Jake it's fine, there's nothing to worry about, I'm not mad that I can't go all the time," I said honestly. He clearly felt the complete opposite of me.

"I just thought it would have been something different and fun for us to do this weekend. Everyone pretty much knows you, and-" I cut him off before he said something he would regret. I do care about him, but he was blowing this way out of proportion.

"Okay stop right there: you know that I'm not allowed at the bonfires no matter who is there. You also know that your dad won't change his mind. You really know that I will still go to Port Angeles with Alice and you just wanting me to stay home won't stop me." Jake exhaled and set his Math book on the couch. He put my notebook in my textbook and put it on top of his. He shifted me into his lap and looked at me.

"Bella, I really was looking forward to this weekend with you. I'm sorry I'm being selfish," Jake said. I did believe that he wanted to spend time with me. I wanted to spend time with him, too. But he could spare one afternoon.

"Jake I was looking forward to this weekend with you too, but you can spare one afternoon. If you can't, we really need to rethink this. Can you live one afternoon? Talk to Quil and Embry," I said, trying to distract him. All of a sudden, a dark expression flashed over his features. I had never seen him look like that before. "Jake what is it?"

"Quil. He, "he paused, like he didn't want to talk about it. "He joined Sam's group. I still can't believe he did that. Me, him, and Embry have been best friends since we were kids and this feels like the ultimate betrayal," Jake sat there with his eyes closed for a minute. I had no clue that Quil joined Sam.

"Wait when did this happen? Why didn't you say anything? How does Embry feel about this?" I felt as upset as Jake looked.

"Bella slow down. It was on Monday, I'm sorry I didn't say anything. When we were at your house on Tuesday I was trying to distract myself. And Embry is just as bummed as I am, if not more."

"Jake I'm so sorry, I wish you would have said something," I said honestly. Yes our afternoon would have been different, but I would rather help him get through this than him suffer in his head alone.

"I needed the distraction, and I loved our afternoon, don't worry about it," he winked at me. I did agree with him, Tuesday was pretty satisfying.

"It's okay. On that note, I'm going to get going. Charlie is going to be home soon and I want to have something ready for him to eat," I said starting to shift off of Jake's lap.

"Oh Bella, I didn't say earlier? Charlie is going to the diner with some coworkers for an officer's birthday! He called me earlier since he figured you would be over here," Billy yelled in from the kitchen.

"Oh, okay. Want me to make something here?" I offered.

"I mean, you know how our kitchen and how it is always stocked with ingredients," Jake laughed with sarcasm.

"Yeah I was thinking that to. We could either go to the store really quick or order out," I said, giving the Black men their choices.

"Let's order, don't worry about cooking Bella. I'll get Embry to pick it up. I saw him on the way home from Harry's and he asked what we were doing tonight, so I told him to come over. You want to call him or should I?" Billy asked happily. The three of us were back to acting like normal again.

"I'll do it Dad. Bella, do you want your usual?" Jake asked as he set me back down on the couch.

"Yeah that'd be fine, thanks," I said picking up my textbook again. Jake picks up the cordless phone and walks into the kitchen so he could hear his conversation instead of me and Billy talking.

**In the kitchen**

"Hello?" Embry answered his phone.

"Hey Em, what's up?" Jake asked.

"Nothin', I just saw your dad," Embry replied.

"Yeah I know, he told me. We decided to order out and wondered if you wanted to join us, maybe pick it up on the way here."

"Yeah that'd be great! I'm pretty sure my mom is working late tonight anyway. There is some huge project due at the end of the month so they are all putting in long hours. It'll be nice eating with company tonight."

"Dude you should have said something! I didn't know you'd been alone that often," Jake said, feeling bad for his best friend.

"Well Old Quil and your dad had apparently been at meetings so much it would've been nice to keep each other company, but you know," Embry finished quietly.

"Yeah I know. Hey, so what are you doing Saturday night?" Jake asked suspiciously. He had an idea, and was hoping his plan would work to his advantage.

"Being bored out of my mind probably, why?"

"Wanna go camping before it gets too cold and starts snowing? The weather is supposed to be nice for the end of the September."

"Yeah that's fine. Anyone else coming?"

"Do you care if I ask Bella? I just figured it'd be nice to get out of the house for a bit, for all of us," Jake said. He really hoped Embry didn't care if Bella tagged along. This would be a perfect distraction for her from her new Cullen friend.

"I don't care, as long as no funny business happens," Embry said, clearly grossed out but jokingly.

"Of course not, no worries," Jake said. "So you'll pick up dinner and come over, we'll talk more about it then?"

"Yeah sure, did you call it in yet?" Embry asked.

"No, but I'll do it right we hang up if you want your usual."

"Sounds great, see you soon!"

The call disconnected. Jake ordered Chinese, took a deep breath and walked back into the living room where Bella and Billy were sure enough, talking about school or something pointless.

"So I ordered the food and Embry will pick it up soon. Embry was talking about getting out of the house this weekend since his mom has had to work late so often and will probably for the rest of the month. We decided to go camping Saturday night. Want to come Bella?" Jake asked, completely chill.

"Are you kidding? It's freezing outside! I'd get frostbite and hypothermia and any other cold related disease out there," I said. Why on Earth would they go camping at the end of September?!

"Relax Bella. First off, we have an extra sleeping bag that's really warm, unless you already have one, and other camping supplies. Second, there is absolutely no way I would let you freeze," he said has he sat down on the couch next to me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Well, I guess that works. I will just dress super warm and pack extra layers."

"It's settled! This will be so fun!" Jake said, overly excited that his plan to keep me away from the Cullens was working.


	9. Suspicion

A/N: Oh my goodness this story now has over 2,000 views! That's crazy and amazing! Thank you to all who have read and will continue to read. Now things are crazy because it is the end of the school year (I am a kindergarten teacher) and we have our kindergarten promotion ceremony, cookout day, and packing up our rooms (the list goes on). Don't count on two chapters in one day from now on, the dialogue just came to me. R&R!

Chapter 9

Suspicion

That evening, me, Jake, Embry, and Billy all enjoyed Chinese food for dinner with each other's company and whatever game was on in the background. I wasn't paying much attention but the boys all cheered or cursed occasionally when they noticed something happen.

Thankfully my weekend excursion with Alice never came up again, but as Jake and Embry talked about it more, I did get more excited about going camping. I knew Charlie wouldn't believe me when I told him, but I did agree that it would be nice to get out of the house. If I needed to cuddle with Jake to stay warm, who am I to say no? When I got home later, I told Charlie about that night.

"Hey Charlie, just fyi, sometime this weekend I am going to Port Angeles with Alice since she wants a friend to go shopping with her. She needs help picking out a dress for her cousin's Bat Mitzvah," I said completely normal. I was intrigued to hear Charlie's response and compare it to Jake and Billy's.

"Oh okay. I didn't know you were friends with any of the Cullens. I've only seen the kids a few times when they visit but I've known Dr. Cullen for years. Very nice guy and I've heard the same of his family. Let me know when you figure out when you are going," Charlie said happily. "Bella, you know she said shopping, right?" he asked me jokingly.

"I told her the same thing in different words, but she said it would be good for us to get to know her. I have a few classes with all of them but Rosalie, so I figured it couldn't hurt. None of them seem mean."

"Well I'm glad you'll be getting out of the house."

"Oh, Dad, speaking of getting out of the house, Jake and Embry are going camping Saturday night since the weather will be nice for this time of year and well, because they can," I said awkwardly. "Do you care if I go?"

"Bella…I thought you just asked me if you could go camping, did I hear you correctly?" Charlie asked, downright shocked.

"Yes Dad, they asked if I wanted to go. If I get cold, Jake has an extra sleeping bag I can use, and I'll bring blankets and wear extra layers," I listed off my methods of coping. I wasn't about to tell him that if worse comes to worse, Jake could keep me warm. I didn't think he would want to hear that.

"Well, I guess. You are about to be an adult and I know you can responsibly have fun with your friends. I just hope you and Jake spare Embry your private life, if you get what I'm saying," Charlie said, smirking. I could tell he pitied Embry possibly being stuck with us in a tent overnight.

"Haha Dad, very funny. I'll talk to Jake tomorrow about camping. Thanks, and goodnight," I said as I walked upstairs, yawning.

The next day at school wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. On the way to lunch Alice saw me in the hallway and we walked the rest of the way to the cafeteria together.

"So Bella, did you have a time that worked best for you?"

"I'm going camping with a few friends on Saturday night so tonight or tomorrow during the day if that works for you," I said.

"Oh tonight would work better, do you want to leave right after school and we could get dinner, or wait a little later?"

"If we could wait that would be great. I want to make my dad some dinner and leave it in the fridge for him."

"That's fine Bella, give me your phone number. I'll program it in my phone and text you so we can talk later," she said as we walked in the cafeteria. I gave her my number and we went our separate ways as we walked through the crowded lunch room.

"Bella what was that about?" Jessica asked. "The Cullens never talk to anyone." It was very obvious she wanted what could be the latest school gossip.

"Oh, I may be going shopping with Alice later since she needs a new dress for her cousin's Bat Mitzvah, no big deal," I said, not paying attention to anyone as I sat down.

"No big deal? Bella they never hang out with anyone other than each other, let alone talk to other people. This is a huge deal!" Jessica said, looking at me like I had three heads. I felt a bit awkward defending Alice's idea anyway, but it's not like I went out of my way to ask her. "Okay, Bella you have got to let us know any crazy things you find out. We all know their skin doesn't look exactly normal but they are all absolutely gorgeous. Keep us posted, okay?" Jessica asked, smiling. I decided to go along with the conversation.

"Yeah, sure," I said, convincingly enough. Depending on if I found out anything at all, that definitely doesn't mean I will tell it to Jessica. Angela gave me a hesitant look, trying to tell me the same thing I was thinking. Jess really didn't need to know everything about everyone just so she could tell everyone else. If Alice told me something, it would stay with me if that's how it was supposed to be.

The afternoon went by pretty quickly for a Friday. In P.E., Alice and I talked some more and Emmett even joined our conversation at one point.

"Bella, I hope you know how crazy of a shopper this one is," Emmett told me, referring to Alice. "Alice I hope she is able to walk after you drag her around the whole mall," Emmett laughed. I was a bit nervous and made a mental note to wear comfortable sneakers.

"Oh Em, stop freaking her out. Bella I won't wear us out too much, I promise," she said, smiling. It really did seem like she was genuinely excited about our trip tonight. I was nervous, but excited to be hanging out with a new friend.

When I got home from school I figured out what I was going to make Charlie and called Jake once I knew he would be home from school. He would be glad that our camping trip wouldn't be interrupted or cut short.

"Hello?" Jake answered.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know that Alice and I are going to Port Angeles tonight so I can be all yours for the rest of the weekend and camping can be uninterrupted," I said, expecting a happier response than what I received. There was a pause, then I heard a huge cough.

"Bella, about tomorrow, I don't know if I'm feeling well," he coughed some more. "I don't want to get you or Embry sick, or be out in the cold and get worse."

"Oh no, do you want me to make some soup and bring it over?" I said, concerned about my boyfriend's health. Of all times for him to get sick, it had to be cancelling the plans of a fun weekend.

"Can you? I…don't want to cancel your shopping trip," he said right before he sneezed.

"No Jake, I'll cancel and find out if I can reschedule. I feel terrible but I don't want you to feel bad either," I said, already starting to get ingredients out for soup.

"Thanks Bella, I'm really sorry. Let me know when you are coming over."

"Okay, get some rest, bye," I said, and hung up the phone. When I looked at my text messages, I realized I received one while I was talking to Jake.

_Hey Bella! It's Alice. Super excited for tonight!_

I felt really bad cancelling on her but hopefully her cousin's Bat Mitzvah wasn't next week so we had some time. I pressed the button to call her.

"Hello?" the chipper voice answered her phone.

"Hey Alice, it's Bella," I answered, hesitantly.

"Yeah I know. So what time are you thinking?"

"Umm, about that. My boyfriend called me and is really sick. Since he's alone, I need to bring him dinner. I'm really sorry but I don't think I can go tonight. When is your cousin's Bat Mitzvah?"

"Oh it isn't until the end of October, right before Halloween. We've got time. I hope Jake feels better!"

"Thanks, Alice. Again, I'm really sorry. See you at school Monday," I said, letting out the deep breath I'd apparently been holding. I usually don't even have plans to break, so this was a bit nerve racking. As I began getting the broth in the pan for Jake's soup, it occurred to me, I never once mentioned him to Alice. So how did she know his name? For all I know, she had heard me talking to Jess or Angela at some point. Who knows.

Charlie got home about an hour later. I had finished making our dinner of barbeque chicken, one of his favorites. I was taking my last bite of my serving when Charlie had walked in, sniffing the air appreciatively. He saw something else was cooking on the stove and looked instantly confused.

"Sorry Dad, Jake is really sick and I'm making some soup to take over," I said with a mouth partially full of chicken.

"Oh, sorry to hear that. Is your trip with Alice cancelled to?" he said as he began cutting up his chicken.

"Not cancelled, just postponed. I felt bad since we probably won't be able to go camping anyway, so I'll spend some time with him tonight."

"Bells, I don't want you getting sick either," Charlie looked at me, concerned.

"Dad, I'll be fine. I won't be staying long anyway. You know how Billy is when a kid is sick." It's true. Billy took every precaution possible to prevent others, including himself, from getting sick. I haven't seen him since he was stuck in the chair, but I'm assuming he still cleaned what he could.

"You got that right. Not much has change," Charlie said, as he watched me put some chicken in a container and into a tote bag with the container of soup. "Wait a minute, I won't have leftovers for lunch tomorrow?"

"Dad, I'm taking some for Billy, calm down. You'll have leftovers plenty of times," I said, grabbing my keys, and leaving the dishes for later.

"Oh, that's nice of you. Don't stay out too late, you remember curfew."

"I know, bye Dad," I said as I closed the front door. The drive to La Push was relaxing. On the way over I heard a wolf howl from the woods. It was a chilling howl that gave me goose bumps on my arms. I didn't think much of it since I was worried about Jake and really hoping I wasn't going to get sick too.

When I got to their house, I got out with the tote bag and was about to knock on the door when it swung open. Billy was about to go rolling out but luckily saw me before he ran into me.

"Oh Bella, I'm sorry. I was just going over to Old Quil's," Billy said.

"Oh okay. I brought you some barbeque chicken and Jake some soup. Do you want me to leave it in the fridge for you?"

"Yeah, yeah, that'd be great," he said half way down the ramp. Suddenly he stopped and looked at me over his shoulder. "Jake asked for your chicken noodle soup, from scratch?" Billy asked, looking confused.

"Yes he did. I figured it would help his cough. I just hope he doesn't have a fever," I said. Billy didn't answer right away.

"Oh, yeah, you're right. That's a great idea. Thanks, Bella!" he said as he wheeled towards Old Quil's. They didn't live far away, but usually someone started walking halfway or drove to meet him. I was glad Billy wasn't alone all the time that Jake wasn't home. But right now, I had his son to take care of.

"Jake, how are you feeling?" I asked as I walked into the house. He was draped on the couch watching TV.

"Better actually. I puked and feel fine now," he said, still looking at the TV. I know these bugs can come and go, or it could have just been something he ate, but he looks like nothing ever bothered him in the first place.

"Oh…good. Well still eat this soup since I took all the time to make it," I said as I went into the kitchen to warm it up and get a spoon. Knowing his appetite he would eat the whole container and the chicken I brought for Billy, but I didn't say anything about that for Billy's sake.

"Sounds good to me, I'm starving."

"Jake you just threw up, take it easy on your stomach."

We sat in front of the TV for a bit. When he was finished eating, he laid his head in my lap and I stroked my fingers through his hair and along his scalp. He was eventually almost asleep in my arms when the phone rang. I got up to answer.

"Hello?"

"Oh hey Bella, can I talk to Jake please?" Billy asked, a bit urgently.

"He's almost asleep, can I deliver a message?"

"Bella I hate to do this, but I really have to talk to him now."

"Fine, hold on," I said as I walked over to Jake and nudged his shoulder. He looked at me I mouthed 'dad' so he would know it was Billy.

"Hey Dad, what's up?" Jake asked, also confused. At first I didn't care what Billy was saying, but Jake's facial expression told me something was up. He got up and went into his room like he needed to check something. I could hear him talking but couldn't understand what he was saying.

**In Jake's room**

"Dad I'm in my room now and she can't hear me. I'm not really sick, I feel perfectly fine. I got her to cancel her shopping trip with Alice Cullen though," Jake said proudly.

"Wait so you aren't actually sick at all?" Billy asked, reluctant for the answer.

"No, I just had a container of Bella's homemade soup though, so no complaints."

"Oh good. Embry is really sick and, um, probably won't be in school for a while. His fever is way too high and if it doesn't break soon, they may take him to the hospital," Billy said, hoping his son wouldn't recognize his bluff.

"Wait, what? Is that why Embry left school after lunch? I saw him this morning and he was fine," Jake said, worriedly.

"Yeah, that's why. I'm not too worried, you kids can get pretty sick than be back on your feet like nothing happened. I just wanted to make sure you are feeling okay and didn't get what Embry has since I just found out about him."

"Nope, I'm healthy. Have fun at your meeting, I'll see you later"

"Bye kiddo."

**In the living room**

Jake came back out putting the phone in the base.

"Embry is really sick. He left at lunch today, so I wonder if I just got a germ of his."

"I hope not, but either way I'm glad you're feeling better. Charlie was super worried about me getting sick."

"He shouldn't be. Just keep getting enough sleep and drinking lots of water since you were around Embry yesterday and me all the time," he smiled. "I wish we could pass the time another way," he said, looking at me with that gleam in his eye.

"Jake there is no way we are making out after you puked less than a couple of hours ago, that's just disgusting," I said, prepared for an argument.

"Even though I just brushed my teeth, I agree that's gross, even though I do feel fine."

A/N: Be prepared for a fun chapter 10 ;-) Review please!


	10. Deserted

A/N: Enjoy this chapter ;-) So I loved reading reviews/PM's about how I led people to believe Jake could have been phasing but nope! It'll happen in due time, I promise.

Chapter 10

Deserted

As much as Jake wanted to fool around today, I definitely didn't want to do anything if he was still possibly sick. The more we talked, the more I thought about the last big step up in our relationship.

** Flashback: A couple of weeks prior*

We were in Jake's room, making out heavily. Billy had just left about half an hour ago with my dad to meet up at the diner for a friend's birthday. Jake kissed all up and down my neck, I kissed around his chest, sighs were let out, and we were breathing heavily. We started to pull each other's shirts up at the same time, and we laughed and stopped before we got tangled. He peeled my shirt off of me, then I peeled his shirt off of him. I would never get tired of his more defined abs then I had ever seen on a real guy before. Sure I had seen them in pictures of models, but Jacob Black's body was perfect. He unclasped my bra and his mouth went straight to my boobs. One of my favorite feelings was him kissing in my cleavage and moving his way down to a nipple. The anticipation got to me every time and he knew it.

I moaned and ran my fingers through his hair as he sucked harder and massaged my other breast. I don't know when I made the mental transition from 'boob' to breast', but I didn't think about it for too long. He kissed down my stomach and looked up at me with two fingers ready to unsnap my jeans. I nodded at him, more ready than ever. I honestly didn't know what would end up happening, but I did know that I was a squirming mess as he pulled my jeans and underwear down my legs. He stared at me with a look full of love. Not just love, lust. Not just love and lust, but pure need.

"Bella, may I try something? I promise we won't be having sex today," he said, practically begging for permission.

"Sure, I guess," I said reluctantly. I had never been this far with a guy before and Jake knew it. I had never felt safer. He lowered himself so his face was right in front of my opening. He inhaled, and closed his eyes, like he was preparing for something. He slowly moved his mouth closer to my folds, his eyes never leaving mine, and licked very gently and slowly. I gasped at this new sensation. Once he realized I was ok, he did it a couple times and a tiny bit faster. After a minute he had me squirming under him. He had found my clit with his tongue and I was writhing in need. We were holding hands next to my hips as I squeezed his hands, waiting for this building up to finally explode. Then it happened, my orgasm. I had never had an orgasm from a guy before, and it felt amazing. I kept my grip on his hands and tried my hardest not to squirm too much but I couldn't help it. Jake eventually put our hands on my legs so he wouldn't get kicked by accident. I kept moaning until the sensation died down and I could see straight again. He let go of my hands and crawled his way back up to me. When he kissed me, it was different to taste myself on his lips.

"So, I know what we need to do from now on," Jake said smiling.

"Oh my gosh," was all I could get out. Jake laughed. He excused himself and went to the bathroom. It turned out he relieved himself in there since he could tell I may not have been coherent for much after that. It was a pretty chill night, but we had years to come to continue exploring each other.

**End flashback**

Jake and I must have fallen asleep in his bed when I heard a door open. He looked tired so I suggested we go into his room and he can rest. I was leaning up against the wall and he had one arm behind me, circling my waist and the other in front of me, like he was never going to let me go. I rested my head on top of his, and we fell asleep like that. I didn't move though, I didn't want Jake to wake up. I heard the door and open, and Billy and Charlie talking to each other.

"Should we wake them up?" Billy asked.

"I feel like we should, but if Jake is sick and they fell asleep fully clothed and like that, I think we can wait until morning, as long as it's okay with you," Charlie said, clearly hoping he wouldn't regret what he was saying.

"That's fine Charlie, don't worry about it. I can't break that up. Have a good night, drive safe," Billy said as he walked him to the door. Billy pulled our door almost closed, and went to bed.

Later that morning the sun was shining through Jake's window and I blinked a few times to adjust to the light. Jake hadn't moved throughout the night, but I sure needed to in that moment. Someone was lying right on my bladder.

"Jake," I whispered, and started to move his arm.

"Mmmmmm" he whined as I started to move my whole body from under him.

"Jake I need to get up," I said softly.

"No, don't go," Jake said as he wrapped his arms around me tighter.

"Jake I just really need to pee. Last I checked your bed was still dry, let's keep it that way," I said as he let me get up. As I was walking back from the bathroom I heard Billy on the phone, faintly. I shouldn't have listened but of course I did.

"…No Quil, Jake can't be far behind. If Quil and Embry just phased, Jake is one of the only ones left…I really think Seth is still too young, but only time will tell…Oh fine, go check in. I'll talk to you later," Billy said as he hung up. I rushed back to Jake's room as quietly as I could. First I hear Billy and Harry talking, now Billy and Old Quil? What on Earth are they still talking about phasing for? Whatever tribal stuff they keep avoiding in front of me sure is more spiritual than I thought.

"Hey sleepy head," I said as I crawled back into bed with Jake. I could think more about tribal legends and phasing later. Right now, I just wanted to think about my amazing boyfriend.

"Hey, beautiful. I'm glad you actually came back, I was getting worried for a bit," he said, smirking at me as he tucked me against his side under his arm.

"No worries, of course I came back."

"So what do you wanna do today?"

"Well, how are you feeling? I mean I know you were feeling better last night but that doesn't mean all of your gross germs are gone," I said, looking at him suspiciously.

"But Bella, I feel fine," he whined. "I really think it was a 24 hour bug or something. Do you want to see if Embry wants to go camping tonight?"

"Yeah I guess that's fine, as long as you can keep food down and don't start feeling yucky again."

"Yucky? Bella how old are we? Last I checked we're in high school," Jake said laughing.

"Ugh, leave me alone," I said, playfully pushing his head to face away from me.

"So I heard some Forks kids talking at the store the other day and forgot to ask you, do you want to go to homecoming? I would love to go to the game but I know you aren't a sports person. Do you want to go to the dance?" Jake looked back at me, curiously.

"We can go to the game, I'm fine with that. I'm not really much of a dance person though. Do you really want to go?" I asked hesitantly.

"I think it'd be fun since you're a senior. This will be your last one, and we haven't really been out much as a couple…" Jake started listing reasons to hint at why he wants to go.

"Jake, it would be my first one. I never went to homecoming dances in Phoenix. I never went to any dances, for that matter."

"Wait…nothing? I'm sure they had them. But I mean, you didn't go to any? Wait, was this just because you were single? Because you aren't now, so you don't have to worry about any of those Forks boys. They can move over for your man," Jake listed off reasons why on Earth I wouldn't go to any dances, trying to make up reasons for me.

"Jake it's not just because I was single. I was asked a couple times early in high school, but I really don't have any interest in going to a dance." I felt really bad crushing his hope to go, but it's true, I had no interest in dances.

"Bella, is it because of me? There may not be any guys there from the rez, and I hope that doesn't affect anything," Jake's demeanor changed dramatically in the past five seconds.

"Oh my gosh, Jake if I went with anyone it would be you, without a doubt. But you know me, I'm clumsy, and I would fall over my feet and make a fool of myself. Who wants to be seen with that?" I ask, as honestly as possible. I really don't mind being with Jake in public at all. I'm happy to be seen with him since it'll probably be happening for so long.

"Well I'm glad there isn't some other Forks boy tryin' to get to you. Bella, but you should know something. If you fall, I will catch you. It may be my feet you end up falling over which means it would be my fault. I want to be seen with my beautiful and amazing girlfriend. If you really don't want to go, that's fine. But especially since it's your senior year, I would love it if you at least thought about going. We still have some time," Jake said, clearly trying to melt my heart into a puddle of goo.

"And if you don't catch me?" I ask back, still thinking about if I will give in to him or not.

"Then I'll kick myself for life, and kiss all of your boo-boos," Jake said, lifting my chin so he can reach me for a kiss.

"Fine, I will highly consider it. For now I will say probably, but no promises," I say, smiling at his grin.

"Thanks Bella! You're the best!" he said as he started getting up and out of bed. "I'm gonna go call Embry and see what he's doing tonight, you hungry?"

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. I'll come out and make breakfast in a bit," I said smiling, thinking about what would happen if he tried to make me breakfast. In the meantime, while Jake was on the phone I decided to enjoy my last few minutes of relaxation. All I could think about was my nerves about if I actually went to homecoming with Jake. At least it would be with my Jake instead of some desperate guy, even if it was a friend, who I wasn't comfortable with. I must have ended up dozing off again because I woke up to Jake kissing my neck. As much as I wanted to spend more time with Jake, I had no clue if he was still sick or if we needed to get ready to go camping with Embry tonight. I told him so, too.

"Oh Bells, we aren't going camping. I doubt Charlie would just let the two of us go," Jake said, sourly. He didn't look like he wanted to talk about it, but I wanted to know what was going on.

"Jake, what's going on? Is Embry busy? We may just need to wait until next season but it'll be okay, I'm just glad you're feeling better."

"Bells, no. Embry's mom said he was hanging out with Sam," Jake said as he dropped himself back onto the bed. I honestly didn't know what to think. It was like Embry was his last hope to keeping his friends, then they both punched him as hard as they could as their last attempt to bring him down. I sighed as I thought of anything I could say. I was speechless. I didn't know what he was feeling, but I have hurt like him before. I did the first thing I thought of: I wrapped my arms around him and held him as close as I could. "I just can't believe they are both deserting me like that." Jake just sounded, well, broken.

"Jake, just like you kept me together in one piece, I'm going to try to do the same for you. I can't stand seeing you like this," I said, running my fingers through his hair. He looked up at me, trying to figure out what to say. Instead, he kissed me gently, letting all of his emotions flow through that kiss. I felt his hurt, pain, agony, and need. I kissed him back and we ended up frantically pulling each other's clothes off to keep us both feeling whole.


	11. Controlling

A/N: Adventure time with some Cullen's involved! This was one of my favorite chapters when it comes to the storyline. To answer to the guest who reviewed, they asked why Bella didn't mention to Jake about what conversations she had been overhearing involving Billy, phasing, and werewolves since they are best friends, in a relationship, etc. Answer: I decided to have Bella give up (for now) on trying to get answers out of any Quileute's since they never tell her anything about their legends anyway. Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 11

Controlling

He pulled off my t-shirt, I pulled his t-shirt over his head. He unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them and my underwear down my legs, I yanked his gym shorts off of him. He unclasped my bra and let it slide down my arms, I pulled off his boxers. I noticed that he must have closed the door when he came back in from calling Embry.

"Jake, Bella! I'm going over to Old Quils!, See you later!" Billy yelled, it sounded like from the front door.

"Okay Dad, have fun doing whatever!" Jake yelled back, as casually as possible. I smiled at him, knowing we would be alone to do whatever we wanted and needed to do.

"I love you," I said looking into his eyes, into his soul. All I could see now was love, and pure lust. I knew he was still hurting from his friend's betrayal, but that clearly wasn't on our minds anymore. He was standing at attention and ready for whatever we were going to do. I took a bold risk, for me at least, and grabbed his member in my hand, just the head. His head dropped back in pleasure and let out a growl of pleasure. Jake began massaging my breasts as I moved my hand up and down the length of him. While he wasn't looking, I got another burst of courage. I licked the tip and his head shot up to look down at me.

"Bella, you don't have to do this if you don't want to," he said desperately. I knew he wanted it more than ever but he didn't want me to rush into anything either. In response, I stuck as much of him in my mouth as I could. In response, his whole upper body fell back onto the bed as he moaned and breathed heavily in pleasure. I bobbed my head up and down and moved my tongue around him as much as I could due to his size. I didn't have anything to compare him to, but I absolutely loved having control over his pleasure. It was a power like I had never felt before. This must be one reason why he loved pleasuring me so much, which I definitely wouldn't complain about. As I kept moving, his breathing got faster and faster.

"Bella, stop," he said looking down at me. It looked like it took every last bit of will power to stop me.

"Jake, did I do something wrong?" I asked hesitantly. I knew I hadn't done that before but he really seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Oh my god, Bells, you're kidding right? That was…amazing. I can't even…I never thought…I just didn't want to finish when you were still, ya know-" instead of letting him finish talking, or try to finish, I kissed him. He responded, but only for a moment.

"Jake I'm just glad I did a good job, I was really nervous actually," I said, looking at the floor next to the bed. I couldn't make eye contact with him right now.

"Bells, that was perfect. Give me your hand," he said commandingly. I put my hand in his and he wrapped both of our hands around his dick. We rubbed up and down and finished him off together. As erotic as it was to watch him get himself off, I am glad he did it with me since I would have had no idea what to otherwise. After he cleaned us up, we snuggled some more, and enjoyed the rest of the morning until we had to get up.

That Monday at school I walked into the cafeteria to sit at my normal table with the normal group. Normal. A word that I never thought I would associate with me and high school.

"So Bella, are you going to homecoming?" Jessica asked, clearly waiting to ask about Jake.

"Jake and I will come to the game but I'm not so sure about the dance," I said truthfully. I knew she would try to talk me into going but I also knew that I wouldn't crack so easily.

"Oh good we can meet this guy, finally!" Jess said excitedly. Mike didn't look as happy, but he was going to the dance with Jess so at least he wasn't waiting on the sidelines.

"Yup, it'll be fun," I said to try to move the conversation away from the dance.

"Bella, is there anything we can do to convince you to come to the dance?" Lacey asked. She was going with some guy on the football team.

"I don't think so-"

"Bella, does Jake wanna come?" Angela kind of whispered to me.

"He does, but I've never been a dance person," I said.

"Look, I'm coming with Ben, Lisa is going with Tyler, Mike and Jess are going, Lacey and Carter are going, we are going out to the beach for a bonfire like always afterwards," Angela listed, clearly trying to convince me.

"Alright fine," I responded a little louder so everyone else would get off the topic.

"Yay! I'm so excited! Now we can really all be together!" everyone cheered simultaneously. Jake would be so excited to hear we were going to homecoming. Lunch continued as it usually does. Everyone was planning what we were doing before and after, particularly Jess and Lacey. Between Lisa and Lacey, Lacey was definitely the more 'girly-girl' sister. They were both cheerleaders but I could see how Lacey and Jessica were best friends and Lisa and another girl in some science club were best friends. Don't get me wrong, they were both very smart and very nice girls, but also very athletic and very different from each other.

On the way to P.E. Alice and Emmett caught up to me in the hallway.

"Hey Bella! How is Jake feeling?" Alice asked, perky like always.

"Oh he's much better. He thought it was just a 24 hour thing. Sorry I didn't get back to you," I said. Based off of what Jacob and I were doing some of the weekend, I'm honestly not surprised that I forgot to text Alice.

"It's fine! So you know how we don't have school Friday since it's a teacher's day? Want to go to Port Angeles then?"

"Yeah Alice, that sounds good." I decided that I was only going to tell Dad Friday morning about this trip, and it was going to be a 'last minute' trip. If he finds out from Dr. Cullen or someone he talks to, then so be it. If Jake was going to pull the 'controlling boyfriend' routine, than I could play my own game and live my own life.

"Thank god, Bella she told me she was going to drag me to the mall with her if you didn't say yes," Emmett said patting my shoulder.

"What about Edward? You couldn't torture him a bit?" I joked towards Alice. Edward and I had been talking more, slowly but surely, in Biology. It was a comfortable partnership, so to speak.

"Eh, I've tortured him enough. Him and I are the ones that joke around most at home so I figured I would cut him a break this time," Alice said.

P.E. went smoothly today, which is a miracle in itself. We started a basketball unit and were practicing shooting from various parts of the…court. I really almost thought 'field', rather than court, about basketball. I knew I wasn't a sports person, but Charlie, Jake, and Billy would have been so disappointed if they even knew that crossed my mind. I made one shot, a regular two pointer as I was told, didn't hit anyone with a ball, and didn't hurt myself. I couldn't believe it was possible. I'll have to tell Jake, Charlie, and Billy about today's P.E. class, too.

"Don't forget about Friday!" Alice said as she walked by me out of the locker room.

"I won't Alice, don't worry. Not even a pack of wolves could stop me from missing this," I joked, still thinking about the tribal legends.

The week went by in a blur. I hung out with Jake a couple of times, who was ecstatic about going to the homecoming dance with me. I told him of the plans for me to get ready with the girls at Lacey and Lisa's and he could meet us there for pictures before the dance, then come to the beach for a bon fire after, which he was very familiar with.

Thursday evening, Charlie, Billy, Jake, and I were all in the living room saying our goodnights when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pecked Jake on the lips, and took out my phone to look at the message as Jake carried Billy to the Rabbit. I momentarily forgot about the text when Jake's biceps were bulging as he carried his Dad down the stairs. It was a little weird thinking about how hot my boyfriend was while carrying his father, but it's his biceps I was focusing on. I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

'Alice: I'll pick you up at 11:00 tomorrow and we can grab lunch before shopping?'

'Bella: Sounds good! Thanks for driving, see you then!'

"Hey Dad, what time do you have to go in tomorrow?" I asked as casually as possible.

"9:00 I think, since I stayed a little later today for a last minute case wrap-up," Charlie said, thinking to make sure he was right. "Why, what's goin' on?"

"Just seeing if I wanted to wake up before you to make breakfast, but that's pretty early since I don't have school tomorrow," I started walking up the stairs, laughing.

"Yeah, Bells, don't get up early on your day off. I can put together some cereal and milk. Goodnight, kiddo."

"Night, Dad," I said, and left it at that. The best part? I didn't know I could pull that off without giving anything away, but I'm glad Charlie is fairly oblivious.

The next morning, I woke up at 9:30 so I could eat a small something and get ready. I dressed comfortably but I put a little more effort than usual into picking my outfit of the day since I would still look like I walked out of a thrift store next to Alice, who is a walking super model. I called Charlie around 10:00 to clue him in.

"Hey Dad, Alice texted me late last night if I wanted to go to Port Angeles today since we don't have school, is that okay?"

"Yeah, Bells, that's fine. Are you girls taking your truck?" he asked tentatively.

"No, she just said she would pick me up around 11:00," I laughed. It was truly Alice to rush the small talk and get straight to the details.

"Okay, have fun! Are you going to get a dress for homecoming?"

"Yes, don't worry. I'm doing that with another girl. I won't drag you out shopping, since a part of me is dreading this in the first place."

"Well you have fun with that, and I'll be home by the time you get back," Charlie said, happy to get away from the topic of shopping.

We hung up, and before I knew it I heard a knock on the door. I ran downstairs after beginning to organize my desk to let Alice in.

"Hey Alice, how are you?"

"Good! Are you ready to pick out your homecoming dress?" my smile dropped instantly as she asked. I was hoping to ease the information into casual conversation instead of having the fashion tornado whirl me through stores and fitting rooms.

"Yes, I guess. I'm nervous, but excited," I said with a smile.

"Good! Bella, I know I didn't ask beforehand, but do you care if Edward comes with us? He wanted to stop by a couple other stores while we dress shop. Do you care?"

"No, of course not. Since we are driving out there anyway, he may as well come with us and save gas," I said as I grabbed my purse and locked the front door behind us. When I walked down the front steps I saw Edward already sitting in the back. He smirked at me and nodded. As we got in the car, I asked Alice, "What if I said no and I wanted it to just be us?"

"I would have dropped him back off at home and told him to go another day. He'd get over it," Alice said smiling in the rear view mirror at him.

"But really Bella, thanks for letting me join you. I'd love to join you two for lunch but I want to stay out of your way once you are shopping. Just don't leave me in Port Angeles and let me know when you're leaving," Edward requested politely.

"Not a problem Edward," I said, a bit excited for some familiar territory on this trip. Alice was a ball of energy that I sometimes had trouble keeping up with. Edward was my bio partner and it was nice knowing both of them so I could just focus on homecoming dresses and enjoying myself.

By the time we were at the mall, Edward, Alice, and I had cracked jokes, talked about school, things I've missed in the first few years of high school, and what are plans for next year were. I actually had a lot of fun. It wasn't until we were eating lunch in the food court when my phone rang. I was eating my Chinese food while Alice and Edward got subs from the deli. When I pulled my phone out of my purse, I realized I had missed 6 calls already. One of them was from the Black house, and five others were phone numbers that I didn't recognize. That number calling me then was a different number than the other ones.

"Hold on, excuse me while I answer this," I said to Alice and Edward, as I stood up and walked to the table next to ours for some privacy. "Hello?"

"Bella! I've been calling, why didn't you answer?" Jake asked in a rush. He sounded out of breath.

"Sorry, I didn't hear my phone go off and I'm at…wait aren't you supposed to be in school? It's only lunch time," I asked, super confused. I noticed out of my peripheral that Alice and Edward were glancing at me curiously, but looked away and kept on eating and talking.

"Oh…we, uh, only had a half day today and I wanted to see what you were up to," Jake answered.

"Jake, I know for a fact you don't have a half day today. I heard our dad's talking last night about what they are doing after you get out of school at 3:30 to come over for pizza and the game again." I was getting really annoyed with this game.

"Oh. Well, um…"

"Jacob Black you figure out what you need to say to me or I'll talk to you later," I interrupted angrily.

"Look, I heard a couple of people talking and they said you were hanging out with the Cullens today. I freaked, and am borrowing a cell phone," Jake said, finally coming clean. I could tell he was preparing himself for my wrath.

"So how come your house phone was the first call I received?" he must not have had an answer for that since there was silence for what felt like minutes.

"That must have been my dad because I honestly haven't been home," he said curiously. So he really didn't know what that was about. Weird.

"Okay fine. Just fyi, Alice and I are shopping for homecoming dresses. If you still want to go with me, or go at all, you better chill out, and I will hopefully see you tonight."

"Fine Bella. Please call if you need anything…I love you," he said. Jake almost sounded desperate, like he was pleading for me to call him later and come speeding home to him. It sounded so sad, but at the same time I knew he meant it.

"I love you, too," I responded, with the biggest smile on my face. As happy as I was for hearing those words from him, it shouldn't have been under these circumstances. We said goodbye and hung up.

A/N: Next chapter: Drama begins!


	12. Priorities

A/N: As always, thanks for the reviews and PM's. I replied to all of them but occasionally error messages came up so I don't know who actually received their reply or not, sorry! I wanted to make Bella someone who did stand up for the things that are really important to her, otherwise she is pretty much the same Bella as in the book. Enjoy!

Chapter 12

Priorities

I was really annoyed with Jacob, but tried my hardest to stay focused on the task at hand. Edward had left us after lunch to do whatever he had to do. Alice and I were in one store in a fitting room and she was chatting up a storm. She was looking for a dress for her cousin's Bat Mitzvah and a homecoming dress.

"So Bella, are you excited for homecoming?" Alice asked.

"I'm excited for the game, but not so much the dance," I admitted.

"Oh, it'll be so much fun! You said Jacob is coming?"

"Yeah. They don't have a football team so it's still exciting, just not as hyped up," I explained.

"Oh then this should be a blast! Okay what do you think of this one?" she asked, standing outside the door of my fitting room. I opened the door, my dress still not zipped in the back, to see Alice standing in a gorgeous golden knee length dress with a copper tie around the waist. She looked absolutely stunning. Alice Cullen could wear a trash bag and still be a super model.

"Alice that's beautiful! Were you planning on that for homecoming or the Bat Mitzvah?"

"I was thinking homecoming but I may just buy this anyway. I'm not sure if it's too much. Let's talk about what you're wearing, though! Turn around so I can zip you up," she said, her eyes wide and taking in the red dress that I adorned. It was fairly low cut and showed some cleavage. It had spaghetti straps and some ruffles on it. I will admit, I don't like ruffles. "Bella you look amazing in this but I think the blue or purple dress would look better on you. Next!" With that, she swooped herself back into her own dressing room and closed the door to mine on her way out. A few minutes later she was outside my dressing room again. Meanwhile I was tripping into a blue dress.

"I'm coming Alice, hold on."

This was a royal blue halter dress that I have to admit, I loved on me. It made my boobs look great, stopped just above me knees, and flattered my body. As I opened the door, Alice was wearing a deep purple strapless dress that also stopped just above her knees.

"Alice, that's the dress!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Well I'll wear something over it for the Bat Mitzvah but I agree and love it. You on the other hand, oh my gosh! Bella just…wow! This is it!" Alice exclaimed excitedly. She hooked the back of the halter strap for me then turned me around toward the big mirror on the side of the wall. I pulled my hair out of the ponytail and the layers cascaded down my shoulders. This was my dress. Charlie would definitely have his gun ready when he saw me in this. I didn't even know what Jake's reaction would be, I just hoped he liked it.

"Okay Bella, now for shoes. Go get changed. I'll be finished in a minute," she said ecstatically as she ran back into her fitting room.

When we were back in normal clothes walking around towards the shoe section, Alice got a text from Edward. She giggled as she read it to me:

'Edward: are you two even finished trying on dresses yet?'

'Alice: Yes! We only tried on a few before we found them.'

'Edward: Wow! I'm impressed. I'll be somewhere around. I hope shoes go just as quickly.'

'Alice: I'll be nice and use a pair I already have.'

Alice was clicking away and I didn't thinking anything of it. She sure was a fast typist. What I didn't know was the extent of their conversation.

'Edward: I know you have trouble seeing them, but will Jacob be making an appearance anytime today?'

'Alice: I can see Bella and I getting home with you so I'm assuming not. My best guess would be a phone call.'

'Edward: Well I still can't hear her so keep me posted. I'm glad she's getting out for a bit and having a normal afternoon with friends.'

'Alice: Me too. Her dress is amazing by the way! I can't wait for everyone to see it!'

'Edward: I can't wait too, even though she'll be with another guy. You have a dress for our 'cousin's Bat Mitzvah'? Good excuse to go shopping.'

'Alice: Thanks! I thought so too, and it clearly worked. By the way, even though you don't have a date, you will still have a great time at homecoming, I promise. Talk to you later!'

Alice had me try on about 15 pairs of shoes. I kept telling her that I was going to fall flat on my face, but she didn't' seem to care. I tried on blue shoes of various shades, black shoes, silver shoes, beige shoes, all shoes. My favorite were some lighter blue shoes with a small pointed heel. Alice tried to talk me into shoes with a higher heel but gave in when I told her that I wouldn't take any pictures with her at the dance. I love Alice to pieces and was beyond thankful for all of her help, but I had to win at least one battle.

We paid for our dresses and anything else we had. Alice also bought hair accessories and jewelry for both dresses. I just bought my dress and shoes. Alice tried talking me into accessories but I put my foot down to them. They were way too extravagant for me, so I would just wear something of mine that is simple.

After we paid, we began walking back towards the parking lot. Edward met up with us as we passed an older looking bookstore. I made a mental note to come back there. It definitely wasn't a chain store so they may have some interesting reads. Edward was carrying a couple of bags, himself.

"So Bella, Alice didn't influence you too much did she?" Edward asked smiling, and clearly knowing his sister.

"She was very helpful since this isn't my forte, but I put my foot down when I needed to," I said smirking at her. Alice was doing a great job at pretending to look grumpy.

"I'm so excited for everyone to see your whole outfit though Bella! You are so beautiful!" Alice said genuinely. I blushed.

"I just can't wait to see you in your dress and all dolled up. Jaws will be hitting the floor," I joked.

"Oh, come on, Alice dresses up all the time. No offense Alice, but as gorgeous as you will be, people will be more surprised to see you," Edward said with his eyes locked on me. There was something about his eyes that were different. All of the Cullens, now that I think of it. Usually they looked copper colored or a light brown, but today they looked darker. I'll have to make a note to look that up. All of a sudden Alice stopped walking and just kind of stared into space. Edward didn't look surprised. But after about three seconds Alice just grinned and looked at me.

"I'm so sorry, I think I just left my cell phone in a fitting room. I'll be quick. Edward, here are the keys if you want to pull the car up otherwise I'll meet you at the car," she said quickly as she turned around and was already a few stores away. I looked at Edward to see what he wanted to do.

"Well, let's start walking to the car, I guess. You heard the boss," he said as he started walking. "So did you actually have fun today?"

"Yeah I did. Alice sure is a whirlwind when shopping. I'm glad I came since I wouldn't have really known where to start without her."

"Well I'm glad this was a successful trip then."

"What did you get?" I asked politely, reciprocating the question from earlier.

"I got a couple of books, a new pair of shoes, and a new dress shirt, both her homecoming."

"Cool, do you have a date?" I asked hesitantly.

"No, I'll be going with Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett. There are always some single girls there if I want to dance, but I don't mind going alone if I'm not in a relationship or something."

"Well it should be fun," I said, trying to keep the flow of the conversation.

"Bella I know we aren't best friends or anything, but do you really think it'll be fun?"

"Okay no, not at all. It'll be pure torture. I don't really want to go at all but it's making my friends and boyfriend happy, so I figured I'd try to make the best of it." I said honestly.

"Now that sounds more like the Bella I know."

As we were walking out the door towards the parking lot, one of the handles on a shopping bag broke. I tripped over the bag and knew that this trip to the floor would be embarrassing in front of Edward. The thing was, I never hit the floor. I landed into something cold and hard, and it was surrounding me. I started to look up and Edward's face came into view. His eyes were about six inches from mine and I was being held in his arms. I had no clue why he felt so cold, but I was more grateful for him catching me. I had no clue how long we stood there, but there was something comforting about looking into his eyes. Something safe but adventurous at the same time.

"Um, here let me carry that for you," Edward said smoothly as he picked up my broken bag and made sure I was steadily back on my feet.

"Thank you."

"Not a problem Bella, just looking out for you as always," he said with a smile. He always looks out for me? What is that supposed to mean?

We had been walking slowly for a bit until we finally arrived at the car. Alice was sitting on the hood casually, texting someone on her phone and giggling.

"Gosh, I'm surprised I beat you. I admit I took a shortcut back once I got my phone," Alice said perkily.

"We ended up strolling, sorry we took so long Alice," Edward said smirking. I didn't really get the joke since they were clearly in on something. But hey, they were siblings. I expected them to have some inside jokes.

The car ride home was uneventful since we were mostly worn out from walking around most of the afternoon. Well, I was at least. Alice never seemed to lose energy. It was just before dinnertime so I knew I would have time to make dinner for Charlie.

"Thank you so much for driving and helping out Alice, I couldn't have pulled this off without you," I said gratefully as we turned onto my street.

"Not a problem at all! Thank you for coming with me. Our mission was completed and we will look amazing at the dance!"

"Um, Bella, I'm sorry for any problems we may cause," Edward said hesitantly.

"Huh? What are you-" I started asking, until I saw who was sitting on my front steps. Today of all days, I was not in the mood for this. "Edward, Alice, none of this is your fault. I'm sorry for anything you hear. Thank you again for today and I'll see you at school on Monday." I got out of the car and prepared for the wrath of my boyfriend.

"Hey Jake," I said casually.

"Bella," he responded shortly. "So how was your trip this afternoon?"

"Actually very fun. Alice and I both found dresses for the dance, and one for her cousin's Bat Mitzvah. We got shoes too," I said as if we were having a normal conversation. I wasn't trying to piss him off, just keep him calmer. I knew we wouldn't get anywhere if we were both pissed off.

"Well, I'm glad you had fun. Any other plans you're going to hide from me?"

"Jacob Black, I told you once and I'll tell you again: you do not control who I hang out with, what I do, or when I do it. If you feel you can do that, then maybe we need to rethink us." That was one of the hardest things I've ever said. I walked in the house and Jake followed me in to the living room. The expression on Jake's face changed dramatically. His face changed from angry to shocked to sad.

"Bella you would really end what we have over the Cull-, over some stupid shopping date?" Jake asked, actually a little bit scared.

"No. I could care less that is has to do with the Cullens or shopping. This only has to do with the fact that you seem to think that you can control me." I somehow got a burst of courage to walk right up to him and stand right in of him, tall and proud. Well, tall for me.

"Are you wearing new perfume?" Jake asked, looking quite confused. So I stood up for myself in front of I believe could be the love of my life and he asks if I'm wearing new perfume?

"No Jake, I am not wearing new perfume, I should smell like Bella."

"Have you washed that sweatshirt recently?" he asked, trying to figure out what smelled.

"Yes I have. I washed it earlier this week and have only worn it twice since."

"Weird. So are you making dinner for when Charlie gets home?"

"I'm only making dinner for Charlie and I until this conversation is over," I said, very clearly standing my ground.

""Bells look, I really am sorry. But I'm not backing down either." He was really being serious about this. Tears were beginning to form in my eyes but I hoped Jake didn't notice. I walked over to the door and held it open, waiting for him to walk out. "Really Bella?" he asked, genuinely hurt.

"Jacob I will not be controlled, especially about who I am friends with." I wasn't facing the door, so the noises that heard I assumed were just neighbors or things outside. Charlie was rolling Billy into the front door. It was pretty obvious that they realized they walked in when something important was happening.

"Hey kids," Charlie said awkwardly.

"Okay Jake what did you do?" Billy said, getting straight to the point. If I was in any other mood I would have cracked a smile. But no, not right now.

"Nothing Dad. We can work it out on our own," Jake said, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Jacob Ephraim Black if this has anything to do with Bella's social circle, you can march yourself right out my front door until you can be a bit more accepting of others' opinions. You and your dad, though I love you both dearly, have given me crap for years about my regards of the Cullens," Charlie stated, proudly standing his ground. My jaw dropped, and I looked at my dad with a new found respect. He just stood up for me to his best friend.

"Charlie, you know the Cullens and Quileutes have never gotten along because of our religious and tribal beliefs-," but Charlie interrupted Billy.

"I completely understand that, since they also seem to avoid you. But I thought that you could at least accept that mine and Bella's religious beliefs do not clash with them, just like ours don't clash with yours. So can we all accept that or not?" Charlie asked. This seemed more like Chief Swan than just Charlie. Jake's jaw dropped, and Billy was staring at Charlie while having a mental battle: to be the chief of his tribe, or Charlie's best friend. Jake looked at Billy, waiting for his decision. It felt like we were standing there for hours.

"Fine. I can't say we won't be concerned about any interaction, but we know when to mind our own business, even if we aren't very good at it," Billy finalized, aiming that last comment at Jake.

"Yes sir." Jake knew he was talking as tribal elder versus his father.

"Glad to hear it Billy, Jake. So are you two okay?" Charlie asked, looking back and forth between us. Jake looked over at Billy as if silently asking if it was alright. Billy made a gesture to imply that it was his choice. I could literally see through his face that his heart broke when I was making him choose. I hated doing it, but I refused to be controlled by someone who claims to love me that much. Sometimes people need to learn by experience. So far I've learned that I have nothing to fear when it comes to the Cullens. Now I would learn where Jake's priorities lay. If he chooses to stay with me, I will be over the moon with happiness. If he chooses his beliefs, I will be heartbroken, but respect his choice. I wouldn't agree with his beliefs, but I would respect them. Jake was taking forever to have his mental battle. What would he choose?

A/N: Cliffy! So I already have half of the next chapter written. My goal is to have it up by Tuesday at the latest but we'll see Leave some reviews please! 3


	13. Life

Chapter 13

Life

In that moment, he started walking over to me, reached me in three long strides, and lifted me up in one of the biggest hugs ever. I loved being enveloped in his scent and in his arms. In that moment, I truly knew that I loved Jacob Black. He set me down but kept hold of my hand, and we walked up to my room. Neither Charlie nor Billy said anything about keeping the door open. I guessed they both sensed that we would be talking about a lot of things.

When we got to my room he sat on my bed and pulled me onto his lap, me straddling him, into our favorite position that was incredibly comforting and made us feel so close to each other. We were wrapped around each other, grasping each other for dear life.

"Bella I'm so sorry. I'm not saying my opinions will change, but I really don't want to be the one to ever make you feel so pressured," Jake said honestly.

"I'm just curious, did it help that your dad gave the 'okay'?" I asked. Jake was quiet for a moment. He was clearly choosing his words wisely.

"Yes and no. I am glad that he felt good enough as Charlie's friend to put his opinions aside. I was so relieved to hear that I can try to do the same, too. I-" he was getting a little choked up. "I don't know what I would do without you Bells."

My heart melted into a puddle of mush. I didn't want to start our makeup make out session yet but I had to stay focused until some points were made.

"Jake since I first came to Forks you have practically been my life and I've loved every minute with you. You need to understand that I see at least one Cullen in all but two classes. Yes I may talk to them, and yes I'm friends with Edward and Alice, and I understand if you don't like that but I wan-, no I need you to be happy for me; that I'm making friends and actually liking it here." Again Jacob was thinking about what he would say next.

"I won't like it. I'm ecstatic that you're happy, but I'll have to learn to stay quiet about that I guess."

"I won't like it. But I'm ecstatic that you're happy. I'll still have to learn how to stay quiet about that I guess.

"I'll take what I can get. I know this isn't the end of this conversation but for now, I'll end it with I love you," and I kissed him with all the passion I had in me. This kiss quickly escalated into our makeup make out session. The adrenaline from our earlier argument was fueling our exploration. Jake stood up with one hand under my butt so I didn't fall, and quietly closed the door.

"I could hear the game so hopefully they are sidetracked enough," Jake said as he focused on setting me down on the bed and getting my clothes off.

"I hope they are distracted enough," I said with a smile on my face. As soon as I had my clothes off, he showed me just how sorry he was. He licked and kissed all over my body. Every now and then he whispered, "Sh, you have to stay quiet." He kissed my neck, shoulders, chest, breasts, sucked on my nipples, kissed down my stomach, hips, legs, and back up to my mouth. Meanwhile I was breathing heavily and letting my hands grasp his shoulders and ran my fingers through his hair.

When he came back to my mouth I was a horny mess ready for action. I felt his tip rub against me and I gasped. Jake's eyes got wide and he was trying to gauge my reaction.

"You have no idea how much I want to do this right now but I don't want it to be rushed or quiet with our dads downstairs," I said.

"I know Bells. Ah, you just feel so good. I can't wait for when we do it Bells, it'll be perfect," Jake stated, more determined than ever. Since we weren't going to have sex that night, I put my hand around his dick and smeared the precome around the head. He buried his head in my neck and moaned into me. I overheard some girls talking about something…adventurous …in Spanish the other day called '69-ing'. While I'm a writhing mess, better to do new things while I have the courage to. I slithered out from under him, without making eye contact, otherwise I don't know if I'd lose this burst of courage. I turned my body around and slid myself back under his body…except upside down. I heard Jake's breathing get even heavier.

"Bella, who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?"

"Don't ask questions right now," I scolded. I guess that turned him on even more because he put his face right into my center and beginning licking my clit. I stopped a moan before it came out since I somehow remembered that I needed to be quiet. I put him in my mouth and gently licked and sucked. I heard a moan begin to come out of Jake, so I put my arms around him to try to comfort him more and stop the noise making. The last thing we both needed right now was to get caught in this position. I could feel myself coming close to orgasm, and based off of Jake's breathing, he was to. I decided to try swallowing and see what happened. I was so turned on that I didn't really care what else we did. He nipped at my clit and that's when I lost it. My legs were probably convulsing and the rest of me was shaking. My nails were digging into Jake's back. I could feel him holding my legs down so he wouldn't get kicked and he was trying to stay focused on me as I rode out my orgasm. It was so hard to stay focused on pleasuring Jake while he was trying to focus on me. When I could focus enough, I deep throated him as much as I could a couple of times and he exploded in my mouth. I knew I couldn't remember if I convulsed but oh my gosh did Jake let himself go in my arms. It was one of the best feelings ever, knowing that I did that for him. He almost collapsed on top of me then seemed to remember I was there. He climbed over and lay down on my bed next to me. We were both lying horizontally across my bed, which didn't even hold me well, forget my giant of a boyfriend.

"Bella oh my god. Where did you learn that?"

"I was feeling adventurous. Since I was so insanely turned on already I figured I should try new things when I wouldn't be thinking much about them," I told him honestly.

"Good plan. Remember to tell me when you feel that way from now on," he said, winking at me. What a great ending to a stressful afternoon. Just then there was a knock on my door.

"Bells, Jake, do you guys want some pizza?" Charlie asked, thankfully not opening the door.

"Yeah we'll be down in a minute," I responded.

"I hope you know that I am not happy about the door being closed, but I'm not going to embarrass anyone by opening it, including myself," Charlie said hesitantly.

"Thanks Dad, we'll be down in a minute, you can go downstairs now," I said insistently. I heard his footsteps moving farther away. Jake exhaled.

"Wow, that was close."

"At least it didn't happen in the middle of anything," I said as Jake exhaled.

"Well, let's get dressed and go downstairs. I hope they ordered a separate pizza for me," Jake said, throwing his clothes back on sloppily.

That Monday at school proved to be a lot less average than I expected. The second I parked my truck, Jess and Lacey were walking towards my door, waiting to ask me about the Cullens.

"Hey Bella! So did you go on your shopping date with Alice?" Jess called over. I figured I wouldn't lie, but I wouldn't dive into detail either.

"Yeah, I did. We went to Port Angeles and went to a few stores in the mall. It was actually fun."

"Wait, Bella: you actually enjoyed shopping? So it was just the two of you or did Rosalie go, too?" Lacey added in.

"Well Alice and I were the only ones there shopping, and picking stuff out…" I started beating around the bush.

"Wait, so who else was at lunch or dinner or the mall or drove with you?" Jess asked, trying to cover all the bases.

"Edward hitched a ride with us since there was absolutely no point in driving two cars separately that far away," I said realistically.

"Wait Edward went with you too?"

"Yeah, it's not a big deal. He and I are lab partners in Bio 2. What's the big deal?"

"So did you find out anything about their family or background or, I dunno, medical condition?" Jess asked. I stopped listening after I stopped talking. There was no point in gossiping about nice people. But coincidentally, the Cullens drove up and parked just as Jess finished her sentence. Unfortunately, Jess didn't notice, so she kept running her big mouth. Unfortunately for her I wasn't listening, but walking over to say hi to my friends. Emmett noticed me first.

"Bella! Not scared of us I see. Glad Alice didn't torture you too much," he said high fiving me.

"I'm fine Emmett, nothing to worry about," I said smiling. Alice, Jasper, Edward, and I all greeted each other. As usual, Rosalie walked with the group but didn't say anything.

"So Bella, there are a couple of weeks until homecoming. Are you excited yet?" Alice questioned, linking her arm through mine as we walked.

"Alice I'm still recovering from Friday. Don't rush me, please," I said with a smile on my face.

The week went by pretty slowly, but Alice was constantly reminding me of the approaching social disaster. Not only Alice, but Jess, Lacey, Jacob, and Angela; of course Jacob wasn't at school though. Angela was the only one who was trying to keep homecoming in a positive light, which was helping a lot. Jess and Lacey were trying to figure out what to do with my hair, Jacob was showing me lame dance moves that he would do purposely to embarrass me in front of everyone, Lisa was telling me more realistic things to try with my hair (thankfully), and Angela was keeping me calm through the storm. During lunch one day when the girls were talking about getting their nails done, which I would not be doing, I caught Edward smiling at me from their table. I really think he was actually laughing at me, but I didn't think much of it. During Bio the next day I asked him about it.

"So did you get pleasure out of my torture at lunch yesterday?" I asked curiously.

"Maybe. It was funny. You're cute when you are embarrassed," Edward said boldly. He wasn't looking at me when he said that, he just kept writing the answers to the questions we were supposed to be answering in our journals.

"Okay so like I said, getting pleasure out of my torture. Get used to it, especially at homecoming when you are around Alice more," I said smiling more. First off, he just called me cute. He knew I was with Jake. Was that an innocent, friendly, compliment, or was I supposed to make something of it? Weird. I won't say anything else about it unless he does.

"It's funny watching all the girls get all worked up about what they are going to wear, how they will do their nails and hair, what jewelry and accessories they need, shoes, etc. I live with Alice, so watching normal human interaction is amusing," Edward stated seriously.

"Fair enough. There is nothing normal about Alice's closet, I'm sure," I guessed. I could just imagine an extra bedroom being converted into shelves upon shelves, maybe even aisles. Alice would have everything color coded, or even better sorted by season. Even more, she would sort it by season and color. I stopped thinking about it when I thought about the shoe section. That would be a nightmare for my brain.

"You are completely correct. I try to stay as far away from Alice's room as possible unless she asks me. Even when she asks me I don't even always go in. It's a scary place, almost as scary as a girl's brain," he said smirking as he kept writing. I couldn't believe this thought even went through my head, but Edward's smirk was going to get me one day. I had been hanging out with the Cullen's so much in school that I noticed a lot more about them. For example, Edward had a really cute smirk. I noticed that none of them ate their lunches. I noticed that a while ago but didn't really pay attention to it like now. That is really weird. I also noticed that they all feel cold whenever I made contact with any of their skin. Jess had hugged me a handful of times, Ange had hugged me a couple times, you know, those awkward side hugs but they still comforted me. Alice and I did that a couple of times, and Edward's and mine's hands have brushed before during Bio experiments. They were also never at school when it was sunny. People said that it was because their family does a lot of outdoor activities and they take advantage of the weather, but who knows if that's true. I wonder if Dr. Cullen still goes to work when it's sunny. Working at a hospital, I can't imagine that he just calls out whenever the weather is nice. These were just more things for me to keep in mind.

As homecoming got closer, Charlie poked fun at me a few times, also.

"So Bells, can I come to Lisa and Lacey's with my camera and be with the other parents during pictures?"

"Yeah Dad, that's fine. Other parents will be asking where you are if you aren't there. Who knows, there may be some single moms," I said, poking fun right back at him.

"Well then maybe I'll forget about my camera and just focus on socializing," Charlie said as he got a beer out of the fridge.

"Oh really? Don't trip or fall, or heaven forbid you stutter," I said completely realistically. "I'm just looking out for you Dad, not trying to burst your bubble. But either way, this is the only year you get to take homecoming pictures. If you don't get any, Mom will fly out here and get you personally." Wrath of Renee was something that anyone should fear on even the best day. When she got angry, things got crazy. I'm not saying it always makes sense, but things get crazy.

"Good point. Alright, I guess I'll bring my camera. I'll be sure to draw as much attention to you as possible, don't worry."

"Sure Dad, thanks a lot," I finished. "I don't know what time the parents are getting there, but I'll let you know, see ya tonight."

The football team and cheerleaders were getting more hyped up about the football game and sharing the excitement with the rest of the school. The girls were getting more giggly and excited to get their flirts on, and the boys were getting more exciting for what some could be getting on homecoming night. High school was so trashy.

Life was actually feeling normal and I was about to experience my first normal high school experience that everyone should get to. I just hope that I don't mess anything up.

A/N: Reviews please! I love hearing all of your theories! I promise the plot will be moving more soon.


	14. Homecoming Part 1

A/N: Thank you to the few reviews and PM's. Also, this story has over 4000 views now?! That's crazy! Thank you all so much for reading! Now things start getting a little crazy.

Chapter 14

Homecoming Pt. 1

It was the week of homecoming. As I had said, the cheerleaders and football players did a lot of hyping up the game and almost every girl in the school was gossiping about something dance related, including boys. I say 'almost' every girl because I sure was forced into some of those conversations but they were most definitely not by choice.

"Okay so we will all get to Lisa and Lacey's right after the game, get ready, do each other's hair and makeup, and get pictures and go?" Jess asked, confirming with everyone on Friday, the day before the game and dance.

"Sounds good, yeah, I'm so excited!" people answered around the table. I had been in touch with Jake all week. He had said yesterday that he wasn't feeling well, so I took over some more soup. Towards the end of the night Billy was practically pushing me out the door. Jake did tell me that if he was too sick to go, that I should still go and have fun with my friends. I bought a gorgeous dress and shoes and he was super excited to see pictures. I could tell how bummed he was to experience my first high school dance with me but I told him I would survive and bring back pictures for him.

"Bella come to the machine with me, I want to buy a drink," Angela said, obviously trying to get us away from prying ears. We walked across the cafeteria to the drink machine. As soon as we were far enough away Angela slowed her steps and immediately questioned me. "So what is going on? I know you aren't incredibly excited for the dance but you haven't said much all day."

"Jake is coming down with something again and seems to be a really bad fever. I took some soup over last night,"

"Wait your homemade chicken noodle? Mmmm, I need to try that sometime," she said hungrily.

"That can be arranged. So his dad practically shoved me out of the house last night so I wouldn't get sick but Jake made it clear that he still really wants me to go to the game and the dance with everyone," I told her. I was happy to make her a batch of soup, especially as the weather got cooler. I waited to see her reaction to my dilemma.

"Yeah that's crappy timing. I hope he feels better, even if he can't make it to the dance," she said, honestly bummed. "I was looking forward to meeting him, we all were."

"I was looking forward to you all meeting him to so he can finally match names to faces," I said laughing. We talked about silly stories that I had told Jake about school. On our whole walk to and from the drink machine we talked about a lot. I'm just glad Angela pulled me aside to ask instead of asking in front of everyone.

That night Charlie got to bugging me about the dance. The only problem was that he apparently hadn't heard about Jake yet.

"So you're telling me he's completely deserting you on your first high school dance?"

"Well at least he gave me some notice, it's not like he stood me up tomorrow at the game or worse, the dance," I said honestly. If he was that sick than I really wasn't mad. This time I actually felt how warm he was turning, compared to last time when he said he puked and he was fine.

"Well if you don't want to go I wouldn't blame you, but I do really hope you can go with your friends and try to have fun," Charlie said, actually looking at me and away from the TV.

"I will, Alice, Jess, and Ange would be so disappointed if I backed out and I would never hear the end of it. It will probably be easier to just get it over with."

"Are you still going to the game?"

"Yeah, as we were leaving people said, 'see you at the game' and I didn't say anything otherwise so I might as well go. Are you going to come? A lot of parents come and cheer on their kids and the school."

"You wouldn't be embarrassed by your old man?"

"Dad you know more people there than me, and I go there. I don't care, it's fine," I said honestly. "You would probably sit with some of the grownups anyway."

"Yeah you're right. Okay, I'll make an appearance. It'll have to be in uniform though since I go straight to work afterward then stop at Lisa and Lacey's later for pictures."

"That's fine, just have fun. I mean how many live football games do you get to go to, high school or not?" I asked him, smiling.

"You're right. Bells get some sleep, you have a big day tomorrow."

"Will do, good night Dad."

"Night Bells."

And it was homecoming day. The game was mostly a blur to me. People got tackled, the ball flew through the air, a lot of people screamed and booed, a loud band that we weren't sitting very far from, and some cheerleaders yelled from the sidelines. I knew Charlie was only sitting a few rows below me because that's where a few of his friends were sitting. Every now and then we made eye contact, but not that often. I didn't really know when to cheer but I followed along well enough to know when to stay quiet or boo. Angela and I sat next to each other and talked most of the time about things we understood. In the end, Forks High won 35-27. It was a good game; long, but good. After we went straight to Lisa and Lacey's house. They lived on the other side of the school than I did but it wasn't a far

When we walked in, the living room was converted into a huge makeover room. There were chairs set up in front of mirrors that were probably moved from various places in the house. That was so nice of them to prep for us. There were also a few snacks. It was a bigger house than Charlie's, but not by a huge amount. Our house was perfect for the two of us, whereas it was obvious that 5 people lived here based on its size. I think every girl there knew that I wouldn't be doing anything on my own when it came to hair and makeup. Even Angela was able to get her makeup started. Jess and I had very similar skin tones so she went crazy on me. She saw the shade of blue my dress was, and it took almost 20 agonizingly slow minutes or torture for her to finish. When she told me to turn around, I couldn't believe what I saw in the mirror. I didn't exactly look like a stripper, but I sure did have way too much makeup on my face. Jess gave me a smoky eye look with some dark blue accents and way too dark eyeliner. Angela seemed to sense my panic and saved me.

"Jess that looks so good on Bella! So it's not as…out there, why don't we take the black eyeliner off of the bottom and do a more subtle brown instead?" Jess could tell she wasn't really asking, but subtly telling her that something was going to change.

"Ugh, whatever," Jess sighed, and turned around to start her own makeup.

"Jess thank you! I really do love it, it's just a lot for me since I rarely wear anything like this," I said, really trying to sound appreciative. I was thankful since I sure had no idea how to do this. This particular look was just a bit dramatic for me.

"No problem," she said, completely focused on her own face and eye shadow shades. Angela and I removed the black liner on the bottom of my eye and replaced it with a more subtle and thinner dark brown. I liked it a lot more.

"Thanks for helping me, I have no clue what I would do without you."

"No problem, we all know that Jess is a tornado that never stops once she's on a role," Angela laughed. After that Lacey came over to start doing my hair. They wanted to do an elaborate up do, but we decided together to do a half up/half down and curl most of my hair. At one point I had two people, one on each side of me, curling my hair into tight ringlets. I freaked out after I saw the first curl and how short it made my hair, then relaxed a bit when they told me they would be looser and longer in about an hour. I never realized how much hair I had until other people had to style it. Even after they put crazy amounts of hairspray in my hair, I looked good, and I hadn't even put my dress on yet.

There was about half an hour until the guys would start coming for pictures. Since all of us were helping each other, it really didn't take long to get ready. The adults and Keith, Lisa and Lacey's brother, all made themselves scarce and we all just changed into our dresses in the room. It wasn't any different from the girls changing in the locker room for cheerleading, so it didn't bother me at all. I got my dress out of the garment bag and started climbing into it. When I finally got the hook on the back of the halter strap, I realized the rest of the room was quiet. I looked up and everyone was looking at me.

"What?" I asked, confused. I really hoped I didn't mess up my makeup, or have a booger stuck to my nose if I sneezed earlier.

"Bella you look gorgeous! We've never seen you in a skirt or a dress before!" Angela exclaimed, running over to hug me.

"Wow, I'm impressed. Alice did very well," Jess admitted. I wasn't sure if she was making a jab at Alice or the fact that it is actually possible for me to look good in a dress. Either way, I didn't think much of it. The other girls all made nice comments about how nice I looked then the excitement continued as more people put on their dresses. Angela's was a dark forest green that was form fitting to her knees with spaghetti straps at the top. Jessica's was a sparkly magenta that was strapless and had a ruffle design on it. Lacey's was red and strapless but flared out at the bottom like mine did, at her knees. Lisa's was orange and strapless but with a corset fastening in the back. Everyone looked amazing! I will admit, this was fun seeing everyone look nice. Before we knew it, Lacey and Lisa's mom knocked on the wall right inside the living room to get our attention and announced that our dates and parents were here for pictures. We all made sure we had our shoes on and made our way outside. Before we did that, I decided to call Jake and tell him I loved him.

"Hello?" Billy answered.

"Hey, can I talk to Jake for a sec?"

"Bella I'm sorry, he's sweating bullets and his fever is about to break. He's not doing well right now," Billy said rushed, but sounding concerned.

"Can you hold the phone up to his ear? I just want to tell him I love him," I said pathetically. I wanted to see how mushy I had to get to crack Billy.

"No Bella, I'm sorry. He's asleep and I'm not waking him up especially if his fever is about to break. I will pass on your message though, that's the best I can do right now," Billy said sympathetically.

"Fine, then please tell him I love him and I'll stop by as soon as I can," I said, getting ready to end the conversation. Everyone was calling me over for pictures.

"I will Bella. Don't worry about coming over yet, I'll have him call you when he's awake."

"Um, okay, bye." Billy ended the call without saying bye. He had valid reasons for saying no if Jake was asleep, but something didn't seem right. I would figure it out later. For now, I was going to figure out a way to have fun.

Each couple did some individual couples photos, then all of the girls, all of the guys, and everyone together. I felt super awkward without a date in that picture, but I didn't care that much. Everyone knew Jake was sick and thankfully no one was talking about it. At one point some of the moms talked me into getting a picture with Charlie. Renee would absolutely love this picture. I knew I would too, even though we both blushed when they were suggesting it. Since I didn't have a date, all the guys got a picture with just me. We got a couple humorous poses, like me in the middle of all of them in a circle around me, me in the middle of them in a line, etc. I felt a little better after the guys goofed off to lift my spirits.

Soon enough, it was time to go. We all carpooled with each other. Lacey, Lisa and their dates in their car,and Jess, Mike, Ange, Ben, and I all went in Mike's parents' van. It was a short ride to school, but the party had already started when we got there. We showed our tickets at the door and went in. The gym was decorated so nicely! There were balloons, streamers, and decorations everywhere. The DJ didn't seem too bad so far either, but who was I to judge modern music? As soon as we were in, Jess and Mike ran off to dance, Ange and Ben stayed on the sidelines to talk and dance a little outside of the loud and boisterous crowd. I stood there and took it all in. There was a mass of people huddled on the dance floor. Well, it actually took up a good part of the gym. People were moving against each other and it was clear that I didn't miss much of other dances if they were anything like this. Next thing I know, a short, golden, ball of energy was tackling me in a hug.

"Bella! You made it! Where is Jacob? Oh my gosh you look so beautiful!" Alice said, all at once.

"Thank you Alice, you look amazing too. Jake is incredibly sick and his fever is hopefully breaking as we speak," I said. I noticed after I said that, she and Edward quickly glanced at each other. Curious. Anyway, Alice was wearing the gold dress that she found when we went shopping together.

"Bella, you look beautiful tonight," Edward said, putting his hand on my lower back. It was comforting, and I knew he meant it in a friendly way. He seemed more at ease after hearing Jake wasn't here, but that didn't surprise me.

"Bella! How are you?" Emmett asked as he picked me up and spun me in a bear hug. Jasper and Rosalie followed behind, more quietly than the others.

"I'm great Emmett, and you are too as I can see. You all look great!" I said truthfully as Emmett put me down and I looked at them. Rosalie was breathtaking as always. She was wearing a lavender dress that was down to mid-calf with slits up each side. It was a halter dress like mine, but mine was put to shame after seeing her. The guys all matched their dates at least with their ties, if not their shirts but Edward was coincidentally wearing a similar shade of blue as my dress. I made eye contact with Jess at one point who was smiling and giving me a thumbs up when I was talking to Edward. Luckily his back was to her so he didn't see any of this.

"So I'm sorry to hear Jake couldn't make it, but can I have a dance, if that's okay with you of course?" Edward asked. He actually seemed a little nervous.

"Edward, I don't really dance," I admitted. He laughed in response.

"Bella it's a slow dance. You put your hands around my neck and we rock back and forth, it's simple."

"Well when you say it like that, it does sound easy. One dance, that's it." He led me out to a corner of the dance floor. Thankfully, no one but the Cullens really knew about the Quileute and Cullen feud, so that saved some explaining and possible drama. A few people definitely noticed Edward and I dancing together, but I didn't care. I had been seen hanging out with the Cullens several times at school. I had no problem with people knowing that we were friends, including Jake. Dancing with Edward was nice. I wrapped my hands around his neck and there was still six inches to a foot of space between us. He wrapped his hands around my waist and he lead us as we swayed back and forth to a nice sounding slow song. I didn't know it, but it actually went by a lot faster that I would have liked it to. Before I knew it three more songs had passed and Edward and I were just gently rocking to the beat of faster songs while we talked. Angela and Ben walked up to us not long after.

"Hey, how's it going?" Angela asked, looking at me and Edward.

"Good, are you having fun?" I asked them.

"Yes definitely! Want to get a drink with me? Edward, how about you?" Ben asked politely.

"No, I'm good thank you. Bella, go ahead if you are thirsty," he said as we saw Alice heading over to all of us happily. I went with Angela and Ben to get a drink.

"So what is going on between you two? I haven't seen you that comfortable with a guy unless you were just talking about Jake," Angela said curiously.

"Oh, we're friends. He is my lab partner in Bio 2 so we talk a lot anyway. You know I've hung out with Alice and I have classes with Jasper and Emmett so I'm just comfortable with them like I am you guys, no big deal," I explained.

"Well good. I just came over in case you needed saving. You looked happy but I just wanted to make sure you weren't just being polite."

"Nah I'm good. I'm going to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."

A/N: Reviews please! No, Bella won't be doing anything stupid with Edward, just to get that idea out of your head now. Yes, more drama will be happening in the next chapter which will be the rest of homecoming night. I won't have another review up until next week after the holiday. To my State-side readers, happy 4th of July, have a fun and safe holiday!


	15. Homecoming Part 2

A/N: Thank you to the Guest reviewer that left some love, no thank you to the Guest that left nothing but negative criticism. I said in my original author's note that for the most part the characters would be the same with some minor quirk changes. If you don't like it, don't keep reading. But don't torture yourself to keep reading if you don't like it either. We all do this for fun. Thank you to my regular reviewers and PM-ers!

Also: I realized that as I've been going back and editing some grammar mistakes, they haven't been updated for some reason. I'll look into why, but I apologize for the grammar mistakes that I didn't think were there anymore! Enjoy the chapter

Chapter 15

Homecoming Part 2

The whole time we were at the dance, all I could think about was Jake and if his fever broke. I decided that I would stop by and see him after the dance whether I got sick or not. I was so excited to be in his arms when we danced and who knows what would have happened at night after, but I just want him to get better. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast with my friends that I hung out with there, but I wanted my boyfriend back. So I went to the bathroom and took my time escaping from the dark, loud room.

** In the gym**

"Edward he changes tonight. Everything went black. I can't see anything on the reservation anymore," Alice said hurriedly. She had rushed over to him as Bella walked away to the bathroom.

"Do you see anything about her? Does he imprint on her or do I not even have a chance anymore? You know I won't force her into anything," Edward said, still hoping.

"Of course I know that. I can't see anything though. Technically if he does imprint on her, which is unlikely, the imprint gets to choose to accept the imprint or not. I can't even tell if he imprints on her so I wouldn't know if she accepts. It's all connected. We'll just need to wait."

"Edward do you really want to torture yourself and keep hanging out with her? Go home and make it easier for you," Jasper said. He could feel everything that Edward was feeling and nothing was positive.

"I'm going to stay and be here for her. She seems to be having fun tonight and I'm not taking that away from her since it may be the only time I have," Edward finalized.

"Say it like it is bro, and enjoy because here she comes," Emmett said stating the obvious. They could all smell her and had become accustomed to her scent over the couple of months since they met her.

I walked back into the gym and saw all of the Cullens standing together. I saw Jess and Mike and Lacey and Carter dancing a bit closer than I would have liked to see in public, so I chose to join the Cullens.

"Hey, Bella! Having fun?" Emmett walked over and high fived me. I hadn't seen him since way earlier in the evening. The dance was flying by and would be over before I knew it. As much as I wanted Jake to be here, I was going to have fun.

"Yeah I am, are you?" I asked.

"Of course! Come dance!"

"Umm, I was going to sit out for a bit and relax. It's not easy standing in these shoes all night, Emmett," I laughed as I pictured Emmett in high heels sized for his feet.

"Yeah, no thanks. If I don't see you back in a few minutes then I'm coming to get you!" he bellowed over the crowd and music. I didn't even bother answering as he dragged Rosalie back onto the dance floor. I was about to walk towards a chair but a song that everyone recognized came on, and Alice dragged me towards Jess on the dance floor. I may never leave the dance floor again if those two have any control over me. I awkwardly moved with the music a bit as Alice and Jess danced more fluidly. Jasper must be with Edward since neither of them could be found. A few more songs passed before I found an opportunity to slip away to a chair on the side of the gym. I didn't think they would let me any other time.

"Hey," Edward's voice said next to me.

"Hey. You got away from the guys?"

"Yeah, and I see you slipped away from the girls."

"Oh I'm sure they realized it. There is no way that I could have knowingly gotten away from Alice," I said honestly.

"That is very true. You are very perceptive," Edward noticed.

"I can be. I've just been around Alice enough to realize it," I laughed. There was no getting past Alice Cullen, that much was obvious.

"So what are you doing after the dance?" Edward asked.

"I'm supposed to go to the bonfire with the group. Are you all coming?" I asked, referring to all of the Cullens.

"No, we don't usually do bonfires. Just not our thing," he responded. In that moment Angela came over, mainly asking if I was okay, with her facial expression. I don't know why she was so nervous whenever I was talking to Edward but she seemed worried about something.

"Hey Angela, I'm good," I said to her quietly as Ben started talking to Edward about something.

"Okay, just checking. I know you say they are your friends but your body language looks so nervous around them, so I just wanted to check in," she told me. I could go on for hours about why Angela is an amazing friend.

"Thanks. How much longer until people start leaving for the bonfire?" I didn't know how much more of this torture I can put up with.

"Probably within the next 15 minutes or so. Things should be winding down soon," Angela said reluctantly. I'm glad she was having so much fun. This was the first dance her and Ben and had attended together and they seemed to be loving it. As she finished that sentence, the DJ announced that this was going to be the last slow song of the night so everyone should find their beau or belle for the last slow dance. How cheesy.

"Bella, may I have this last dance?" Edward asked, holding his hand out.

"Sure," I said hesitantly. I took his hand and he led me to the edge of the dance floor. I knew Jake would be furious if he knew I danced with Edward, more than once at that, but he couldn't be here and this is how I was having innocent fun with my friends. I just hoped I could convince him of that.

"Thank you for dancing with me tonight, Bella. You were wonderful company," Edward said just like the perfect gentleman.

"No, thank you for putting up with my two left feet," I admitted. I really was grateful to him for not pointing out how bad of a dancer I was and just let me have fun. I don't think Edward would have done that, but I knew he was thinking it. "Really, I had fun though," I said as we all walked toward the door.

"Me too," At that moment Alice and Jessica walked up to us with Jasper and Mike, respectively.

"Bella are you ready to go over to the beach?" Jess asked, looking back and forth between me and Edward. She looked a bit confused. She also knew about Jake but didn't seem to know what was going on at the moment.

"Yeah that sounds good. Thanks again for tonight Edward, see you on Monday!" I said as I was pulled away towards the rest of our group.

"Bella what the hell was that? You didn't tell us you hung out with Edward Cullen!" Jess said quietly to me. She wasn't happy that I kept this from her even though there wasn't any secret to keep.

"Jess there was nothing to tell. Jake is sick and obviously not here, and Edward and I are friends and neither of us had dates here, so we hung out. It's not a big deal," I told her. Everything I just said was the truth. I just hope she doesn't read into it too much. There are some guys I wouldn't have looked at twice even if I didn't have a date, but I felt comfortable with Edward and I could trust him.

"A few slow dances and laughing with the him like you laugh with us girls is not 'nothing'. I really hope you aren't doing anything stupid," Jess said, looking at me seriously.

"Okay I'm done with this conversation, I can't believe you would even think that," I said as I walked away. I saw the back of Lacey or Lisa's head through the crowd and started walking towards them. I was not going to put up with Jessica practically accusing me of cheating on Jake. I smiled as I heard Angela scolding Jessica behind me. I'm glad someone else heard what she said. I just hope she didn't twist anything around that I said to spread around.

The drive over the beach was boring but amusing. Everyone was gossiping over who was with who, and anything interesting at the dance. I wasn't involved in the conversation but it was funny listening to other people get so up in everyone else's business. Well it was funny this time since it wasn't my business.

When we arrived at the beach, the guys got the fire going and the girls all took their hoodies or jackets out of the cars. It was a windy October evening. I was also smart enough to bring sneakers. I knew my feet and calves would thank me later. When Lisa and Lacey walked up with Carter and Tyler, I pulled Lisa aside for a moment.

"Hey Lisa, could I borrow your car for a few minutes? I just want to check in on Jake since he lives about a mile from here," I said hopeful.

"Yeah sure Bella, not a problem. Tell him we all said hey and he owes us a night out with you since we didn't get to meet him," she smiled at me as she handed me her keys.

"Thank you so much," I said as I was already turned around walking towards the car. I got in, started the engine, and got rolling over the more residential part of the rez. It was nice knowing my way around back here. I couldn't get his smile out of my head. I hoped he would be as happy to see me as I was to see him. I just wanted to be wrapped up in his arms again. As I pulled up to the small red house, I quietly got out of the car and closed the door. I walked up the old creaky steps and tapped quietly on the front door. I knew it was late, but there was a chance someone was still up.

"Bella what are you doing here?" Billy asked as he swung the door open quickly.

"Hey, I just stopped by to see how he's doing. We are all down on the beach for a bonfire so I drove the mile to check on him," I said, happy to make some sort of contact.

"His fever still hasn't broken, I wouldn't come by for a few more days so he definitely isn't contagious," Billy insisted. He didn't even smile or joke around like usual. I understand he was worried about his son but I knew that something was seriously off if Billy was acting all serious, all the time.

"Billy look, I understand Jake is really sick, but I just want to see him and tell him I love him, then I'll leave, I promise," I begged. I probably sounded pathetic, but I was pretty desperate.

"…Bells…." We heard a mumbled groan from the back of the house.

"Please?" I asked. I knew Billy might be more lenient if Jake himself was asking for me.

"Bella I really shouldn't let you in, it's not safe." He's making it sound like Jake has the plague or would physically hurt me somehow. If he's that sick, the only harm is germs.

"I'm entering at my own risk," I said as I walked past him and heard Jake groan my name again.

"Bella this really isn't a good idea. Could you please come back another time?" Billy asked. Well, he didn't really ask, he said it forcefully.

"I just want to see him then I'll be out of your hair until he is better," I repeated. I walked into Jake's room to see him sprawled over his bed with his sheet thrown over part if his body. All he had on were gym shorts, but I was used to seeing that. I couldn't believe it, but it looked like Jake grew another few inches and buffed up a bit more. He wasn't going to fit in his own bed if he kept this up.

"Bells," he groaned again. It seemed like he wanted to tell me something but was too weak or didn't know what to say.

"Jake I'm here, I love you," I professed. Every word I said I was true, but I felt ashamed that I was one of those girls attached and madly in love with her high school boyfriend.

"I love you too, go back…" Jake started. Was he trying to tell me to leave? A part of me couldn't help but be ecstatic that he said he loved me, still.

"Go back to the bonfire? I will, I just wanted to check in on you since I didn't get to see you and you were close by. I love you," I said. I got up, kissed his cheek, and started walking to the front door. "Thanks Billy. I'm really sorry for the intrusion, but I'm just glad I got to see him," I said. Now I felt kind of bad that I just barged in on Billy like that.

"Okay well have fun tonight Bella." Billy tried to herd me out of the house, but wasn't fast enough as I heard another deep voice.

"Get him outside! Throw him out the window if you have to!" they yelled.

"Okay, bye Bella," Billy said as he practically shut the door in my face. If I didn't want to trip than I needed to move back. So I let him close the door in my face. Usually I would have moped back to the bonfire. Tonight, I was thinking about all the suspicious things that have been happening and that I had overheard over the past couple of months. I decided to be rebellious and tip-toed around the side of the house. I saw a couple of guys around Jake's size…was that Embry? Nah, couldn't be. But it looked a lot like him. I saw a couple of huge dogs…no, wolves all walking around something towards the middle of their circle.

"Here he goes," one of the guys said. That was Jake in the middle of their circle! There was no mistaking it. All of a sudden his body was twitching and writhing in the middle of their circle. I must have blinked because the next thing I knew there was another wolf in the circle. He had beautiful russet colored fur and looked around at the other guys and wolves confused. I decided to run for it. I wasn't far from the car, but right as I unlocked and opened the door to get in I heard some loud roaring and a long howl that made a chill go up my spine. I drove back to the beach practically in auto-pilot, not even thinking about the road. I could only think about what I just saw.


End file.
